Kindness 7-15-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait to begin this day and every day centered in Jesus, embraced by my heavenly Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ... "But God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7). You loved us even when we were dead to You through our trespasses, turning to ourselves instead of turning to You for the comfort and peace we were created to know in Your love and grace. Yet we are so tempted to question Your love for us now that we've been embraced, forgiven, and saved, made alive together with Christ. How ironic how often we can almost imagine You to be more loving and forgiving of the lost than those who've been found. How demonic our deception and confusion when we fail to fully grasp "the immeasurable riches of (Your) grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." We cannot fully know You and Your heart of love and grace toward us without knowing that nature of Your kindness. I know we are to behold both "the kindness and the severity of God," not just one without the other (Romans 11:22). You are not a lax and overly-permissive parent who is so insecure about our love for You that You'll let us do whatever we want to do and live however we want to live without consequences for our actions, intended to lead us back to the ways that lead to true and abundant life to the full. So You correct and discipline us out of Your love for us and desire for us to know the fullness of the love, peace, and joy You've intended eternally for us (Hebrews 12:5-11). But any view of the severity of God without seeing it grounded in and flowing from the kindness of God is a distorted view that allows the enemy of our souls to confuse and deceive us in order to steal from us the true image of You and of ourselves. So Lord, please teach me more about the significance of Your kindness. ... It seems I hear You say, "My son, My kindness toward you is an expression of My love for you. My kindness for you is My comfort and care for you, My tender mercies toward you. And My kindness is always there for you -- not just when you think you deserve it, but especially when you think you don't. And those times when you sense your heart tender toward others, not out of pity but out of compassion, are times when I'm showing you a sense of My kindness toward you and all of My creation. So be kind, by My grace; for when you are kind you are more as I am." Yes, Lord. Thank You for these riches of Your grace in kindness toward me. Keep forming the nature of Your kindness in me as a fruit of Your Spirit (Galatians 5:22). "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12). Even when we must speak the truth in love or "admonish one another in all wisdom," give us grace to remember Your heart and command, "Above all, clothe yourselves with love" (Colossians 3:14-16). "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another" (Zechariah 7:9). Let the severity of righteousness always flow out of the compassion of kindness. And remind me that this nature is Your nature, and that this heart for others is Your heart for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Laura Beach, a spiritual director associated with our ministry will be leading The Fountain this Friday Night, July 17th in Lexington, while Brooke and Shannon Barrett lead in worship. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night, July 17th, on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com 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! Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

A Good Land with Flowing Streams 7-14-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You lead me by Your Spirit throughout the moments of my day. ... “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and undergrounds waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:7-10). My friend Tim pastors a growing and thriving church plant at the Flying J Ranch. I knew he’d know just the right place up some trail beside a mountain stream for a day apart in Your Presence. And he sure did. “Follow this dry creek bed up the mountain. Nobody’s likely to wander up there because they’ll all think it’s a dry creek. Keep going ‘til you find the stream. But watch out for the stinging nettles along the way. It’ll be worth it.” And it sure was. I like the places off the beaten path. And I love to search out the treasures that are often hidden away for the ones who are willing to push past the outward appearances and press in to find the places where fountains of living water spring up from dry creek beds and mountain streams flow from deserted ravines. “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (Proverbs 25:2). And it’s usually wise to humbly listen to those who have been there before. You are a good God. You’ve given us a good land. And the land of promise and potential You’ve set before us is already ours in Christ. “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). What may be a dry creek bed by sight in a fallen world, being redeemed from the curse of sin, can become a stream of living water if we believe Your Word by faith and follow the leading of Your Spirit. It doesn’t mean we won’t get stung by a few nettles or scratched up by a few thorns along the way, but You promise the destiny of our journey will be well worth the hike. “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). Thank You, Lord, for the good land and place of Your Presence that’s already and always mine. It’s prepared and ready to be received, embraced, and celebrated every moment of every day, by grace through faith in You (Ephesians 2:8). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Laura Beach, a spiritual director associated with our ministry will be leading The Fountain this Friday Night, July 17th in Lexington, while Brooke and Shannon Barrett lead in worship. 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 chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@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! Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Apart on the Mountain 7-13-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I awake and arise into newness of life in You today. ... "Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And He was transfigured before them..." (Mark 9:2). My favorite high mountain is Sierra Blanca at Ruidoso, New Mexico, overlooking my mother's house. It's always a journey to get here through the desert to these mountains tucked away in the middle of New Mexico, but always worth it. Even in the middle of July, the morning air is crisp and clean in the cool pines. I've been looking forward for many months to this time apart for rest in the shadows of these mountains and comfort in the arms of my mother. I'd cross any desert and climb any mountain for a couple weeks of that. And when Peter, James, and John climbed that mountain, apart by themselves with You, they saw You in a new light. You are "the same yesterday and today and forever," yet at the same time, You were transfigured before them (Hebrews 13:8). I don't think You changed. I think Your Spirit lifted the veil from their hearts to give them eyes to see You more clearly as You truly are and have always been -- clothed in the "dazzling white" of the glory of God, high and lifted up in holiness and majesty (Mark 9:3). In these days apart with You on this mountain, even as my body rests and You restore my soul beside the still waters of Bonita Lake and Cedar Creek, draw my spirit into deeper communion with Your Spirit. Open the eyes of my heart to see You more clearly as You truly are. As I behold You in Your glory, would You keep changing me from the inside out to be 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 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, Laura Beach, a spiritual director associated with our ministry will be leading The Fountain this Friday Night, July 17th in Lexington, while Brooke and Shannon Barrett lead in worship. 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 chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@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! Subscribe free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Find Life, Have Favor 7-10-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father and Son, abide in me by Your Spirit. ... "Happy is the one who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting beside My doors. For whoever finds Me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord..." (Proverbs 8:33-34). Lord, give me greater wisdom and deeper humility to listen continually for Your voice, watch daily at Your gates, and wait longingly at Your doors. Increase my hunger for Your presence. Let my desperate need for more of You be the driving force of my life. There is no true life apart from You. You are the way, the truth, and the life. And You promise Your life to all who seek You. "Then when you call upon Me and come and pray to Me, I will hear you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me, says the Lord..." (Jeremiah 29:12-14). This is the favor of God that rests upon those who seek You with all their hearts. This is the life of God that fills the hearts of all who embrace the love and peace and joy flowing forever from Yours. Happy is the one who finds the treasure of this wisdom; blessed is the one who would wisely sell all he has to have it (Matthew 13:44). 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

High Adventure 7-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand, lead me by the heart. ... "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice" (Proverbs 23:24-25). My younger boys and I had a couple of days of high adventure. We stayed at a friends' cabin in the country, catching tiny little fish in the pond, riding a four-wheeler through the woods, building bonfires, shooting at cans, and enjoying our adventure together. There's something deeply righteous about the laughter of little boys that makes their daddy's heart glad. Even the sleepy eyes and bobbing heads from the backseat on the car ride home is a testimony to time well spent. Daddy Abba, my Father God, thank You for all the adventures You take me on. Thank You for finding joy in my laughter. I want to make Your heart glad with my life. And one day I want to look back to earth on the car ride home to heaven and know it was time well spent with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of Sabbath rest. I'll still be having my morning prayer times (just maybe sleeping in a little!) and sending out my devotional most of the time. I don't think of this is not part of my work; this is my life-line of communion with my Lord. And I'm so glad to have you with me in my journey, morning by morning. But I'll not be replying to many emails for awhile. Please let Marilyn Walker, my Director of Ministries, know any needs or possible ministry opportunities: DirOfMinistries@aol.com I do plan to get my new book available from our web site and it will be available through Amazon.com and other book suppliers very soon. Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in prayer for the next exciting season of ministry. And please order one and spread the word to everyone who may be interested. All the proceeds will be going into our ministry. God bless you! Please register on-line to come join us for these Messiah Ministries prayer ministry events later this summer: July 31-August 2, 2009 -- Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat Center in Lancaster, Kentucky led by Tommy Hays. You'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension in spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterHealingWeekend August 10-13, 2009 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level I Come for a focused time of training, equipping, and impartation through discipleship, personal ministry, and mentoring, led by Tommy Hays and the teaching team. We will study and experience a biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterSchoolOfMinistry 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

"I Commit My Spirit" 7-7-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I honor You and worship You and rest in You. ... "You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God" (Psalm 31:3-5). As You hung upon the cross and breathed Your last breath, You cried out, "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46). But this was nothing new. In that moment of indescribable anguish of body and soul as Son of Man, You were able to endure the cross, disregarding its shame, for the sake of the joy set before You, because every moment of every day You committed Your spirit into the hands of the Father (Hebrews 12:2). Like Your forefather David before You, You knew the everlasting, unfailing love of our redeeming and faithful Father. You always knew whatever sufferings and challenges this world had in store, it was not worth comparing to the peace and joy of knowing Your life and death and resurrection and ascension into glory was in the hands of the One who always works all things together for good, as we entrust all things to Him. And You've shown Yourself so faithful and true to me. Whether You're correcting me or empowering me, You're always loving me. You already know every blessing that's waiting for me and every net that's hidden for me. But as I commit my spirit into Your hands -- Your nail-scarred hands -- You lead me and guide me, never leaving me nor forsaking me, as I rest in the peace of Your perfect will for me. In that place of faith and trust in Your never-ending love for me, I can endure all things by the grace of God, my rock and refuge, my strong tower, my Almighty God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of Sabbath rest. I'll still be having my morning prayer times (just maybe sleeping in a little!) and sending out my devotional most of the time. I don't think of this is as part of my work; this is my life-line of communion with my Lord. And I'm so glad to have you with me in my journey, morning by morning. But I'll not be replying to many emails for awhile. Please let Marilyn Walker, my Director of Ministries, know any needs or possible ministry opportunities: DirOfMinistries@aol.com I do plan to get my new book available from our web site and it will be available through Amazon.com and other book suppliers very soon. Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in prayer for the next exciting season of ministry. And please order one and spread the word to everyone who may be interested. All the proceeds will be going into our ministry. God bless you! Please register on-line to come join us for these Messiah Ministries prayer ministry events later this summer: July 31-August 2, 2009 -- Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat Center in Lancaster, Kentucky led by Tommy Hays. You'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension in spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan.Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterHealingWeekend August 10-13, 2009 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level I Come for a focused time of training, equipping, and impartation through discipleship, personal ministry, and mentoring, led by Tommy Hays and the teaching team. We will study and experience a biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterSchoolOfMinistry 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 our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Tongues of Fire 7-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening. Lead Lord, for Your servant is following. ... "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.... Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.... They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles" (Acts 1:8 - 2:43). The young people literally saw tongues of fire resting on one another's heads as they kept worshipping late into the night the last night of our Aldersgate Renewal Ministries' Conference of the Holy Spirit. Many of the kids saw a pillar of fire and someone even has it photographed on their cell phone camera. And while that was happening next door, I was answering the altar call for pastors to come receive a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit for His power in ministry and renewal of the Church. With other pastors and leaders, I found myself on my knees and then my face, trembling with surges of God's purifying, anointing power. I felt like I was flopping like a fish plugged into a light socket, being electrocuted by the Holy Spirit. And everyone spoke of the Presence of God and the overwhelming sense of His enveloping love and peace and joy throughout this conference. Truly, awe came upon everyone as we worshiped our awesome God and continued to speak of the wonders and grace of Your abiding Presence. On the way home, I was thinking of the words one of the other speakers lead us to pray before he shared his message and story of the power of Your healing love in his life. He had suffered for ten years after having to have his stomach removed from sickness, then one day You recreated it within him as they prayed for him! It's a medically documented miracle. He led us to pray and believe that none of us would ever be the same after this meeting. I know I'm not. And in this coming season, I'm excited and expectant to see all You will continue to do in and through me and all who are willing and longing to be refreshed and renewed in Your Spirit for the purposes of Your Kingdom (Titus 3:5). I personally begin a few weeks of Sabbath rest now, as You ready me for this next season and begin to reveal to me all You have done -- or at least as much as I need to know and have the grace to receive. And though there may still be some painful areas of my personal life, I choose by Your grace to tenaciously embrace the deep peace and abiding Presence of Your Life by Your Spirit, continually filling me and resting upon me. This is Your promise of blessing and fulfillment of prophecy for all of us of every generation who are hungry and thirsty enough to receive it (Acts 2:39). So I do. And so we will "with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord (will continue to add to our) number those who are being saved" (Acts 2:46-47). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for all your prayers for me and my family and ministry. Please keep us in prayer for a time of rest this month. And please come join us in prayer and ministry as you are led. I know more every day how much our bond of prayer together in this journey is so important to the Lord's plans and redemption of all things in our lives. Thank you and God bless you! Please register on-line to come join us for these Messiah Ministries prayer ministry events later this summer: July 31-August 2, 2009 -- Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat Center in Lancaster, Kentucky led by Tommy Hays. You'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension in spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterHealingWeekend August 10-13, 2009 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level I Come for a focused time of training, equipping, and impartation through discipleship, personal ministry, and mentoring, led by Tommy Hays and the teaching team. We will study and experience a biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterSchoolOfMinistry 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

Freedom 7-4-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I love You and honor You and worship You, O Lord my God, in every dimension of Your Being with every dimension of my being. ... "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). Today is Independence Day in America. With fireworks, hotdogs, watermelons, and parades across this nation, we will celebrate freedom. And if nations have prophetic destiny, and I believe they do, our destiny throughout the generations of the people of this land is to be a people who love, honor, and defend freedom. Like all prophetic destiny, we have to agreed with it, embrace it, being will to fight and die for it, and be willing to humble ourselves and confess our sin when we fail to live into it. But I believe it is who You've created us to be and it's an expression of Your heart and Your nature You've called us to display. Ultimately, the celebration of freedom and independence we share as a nation in the natural realm is a sign and calling to seek and live out the freedom and independence we can all know in the spiritual realm. We can be free from the law of sin and death through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:2). We can be independent of the satanic powers of this present darkness that seek to keep us bound up, held back, crushed down, and oppressed from fulfilling our prophetic destiny as children of God, living in the fullness of our inheritance of God. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). Holy Spirit of the Living God, arise in our nation and the nations of the earth today. Lift our eyes to Jesus, our Deliverer who stills comes to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). Open our hearts to our Father who still longs to embrace all who will freely come and receive the grace and love of God (2 Peter 3:9). As we shout out in joy in the natural realm, let us also cry out to God in the spiritual realm for the true freedom You long for us all to experience and celebrate forever. "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress; He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron" (Psalm 107:13-16). Lord, let Your freedom ring! In the Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in prayer at the Aldersgate Conference and for my teaching, preaching, and ministry of healing yesterday and last night. And know the Lord was moving in the power of His love in the spirits, souls, and bodies of His people through the prayer teams. It will be exciting to hear all He has done and all He is yet to do. I pray the same for every dimension of your life in Jesus' name! And for my fellow countrymen, Happy Fourth of July! 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

"Walking and Leaping and Praising God!" 7-3-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this place.... I welcome Your Presence here in my heart and throughout my day. ... "But Peter said, 'I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.' And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God' " (Acts 3:6-8). Peter had no silver or gold to give. But what he had, he gave freely and powerfully in Your name. Lord, what really was it, what exactly was it that Peter had and that Peter gave to that man that day? As I watch and wait in the silence of surrender before You, seeking Your face and listening for Your voice, it seems I hear You say: "Peter gave to that man what I gave Peter -- the power of My love. My son and my disciple, Peter, didn't just keep walking and he didn't just look at the problem. Peter 'looked intently at him,' deep down into that man's heart and soul to see him as I see him -- healed and whole, free in Me, walking and leaping and praising God. That's how I saw Peter, even in his sin and brokenness and shame. That's how I saw him even before I empowered him with My Spirit from on high and set his heart ablaze with a passion for Me and for My people who are just as sinful and broken and ashamed as he was. But I restored him, redeeming his suffering into a display of My glory. The one who is forgiven much, loves much. The one who has received much, loves to give much. This is the power of My love. This is the power that made that man whole and free -- not only in his body, but also in his soul and spirit. He couldn't help but go into that temple walking and leaping and praising Me, all the while giving away what he had received. And you should have seen Peter and John, full of the faith and fire of My Spirit, walking and leaping and praising God, right there beside him." Yes, Lord. I've never seen that story quite like that before. Thank You for all the ways You've taken my sin and brokenness and shame, restored me and redeemed me, filled me with Your Spirit, and released me in the power of Your love to give away what You've poured into me. Freely have we received and freely are we to give (Matthew 10:8). There's much that I don't have and much that I wouldn't know what to do with it if I had it. But such as I have, I will give away in the name of Jesus. And the most precious gift I have to give, worth so much more than even silver or gold, is the power of Your love, living in me and flowing through me by Your Holy Sprit (Romans 5:5). So whether I rise up and walk into the temple or the marketplace, around the world or across the street, I'll go walking and leaping and praising God! In the Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep me in prayer today as the Lord continues to build His message in my spirit to share tonight at the Aldersgate Conference, based on healing of spirit, soul, and body from Acts 3. A recording will be available through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries: www.aldersgaterenewal.org I'll also be teaching two equipping sessions this afternoon: Healing Damaged Emotions and Developing a Healing Prayer Ministry. The Lord is also using this environment of community and love to refresh and renew me in spirit, soul, and body. Praise God! And thank you for all your prayers for me to get my book on healing prayer ministry finally done, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. It's finally here and available at the Conference! 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

"A Little Child Shall Lead Them" 7-2-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You into every moment of my day. ... "But Jesus called for them and said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it' " (Luke 18:16-17). Last night a little four year old girl sang us a song she had written for You with her daddy. Then her big brother, a few years older, told us his testimony of the healing miracle of his life and showed us he could do all the things they said he would never do. How You must be a proud Pappa of Your children. How You must be a proud Pappa of all Your children who come to You and enter Your kingdom in trusting faith with thankful hearts. "Little ones to Him belong...." Lord, help me receive Your kingdom as a little child. Help me trust You without doubt; help me praise You without fear. Give me courage and joy to honor You with my songs of Your love and testimonies of Your glory. Cleanse my soul from all that would try to harden my heart or dampen my faith through the experiences and disappointments of life. Let me never grow too old in my body or my spirit to know and to sing, "Yes, Jesus loves me.... For the Bible tells me so." And when I need a little child to lead me or remind me, give me the humility to hear and follow (Isaiah 11:6). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep me in prayer today and tomorrow as the Lord continues to build His message in my spirit to share Friday night at the Aldersgate Conference, based on healing of spirit, soul, and body from Acts 3. A recording will be available through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries: www.aldersgaterenewal.org Thank you for all your prayers for me to get my book on healing prayer ministry finally done, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. It's finally here and available at the Conference! 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

Equally Yoked in Passion for Christ 7-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust my life and this day to You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together" (Deuteronomy 22:10). Most every summer I join with old friends and make new ones from across the country at the annual Aldersgate Conference, hosted in a different city each time by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. It's named after the prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London where John Wesley was baptized in the Holy Spirit. And it's always a deeply, spiritually refreshing and renewing time for me, as I receive through the anointed worship, teaching, and messages just as much as I give. And it never seems to fail that You forge new bonds of friendship and ministry, while You strengthen the ones You've long since established, for the advancing of Your kingdom through our lives and ministries in the year to come. Here, You give me the gift of being equally yoked with those of like hearts and kindred spirits, always digging deeper, pressing in further, reaching up higher for more of You (see Amos 3:3 and 2 Corinthians 6:14). As we share in the stories of Your glory, praising the wondrous works of God we've seen, and expressing our insatiable desire for more, You inspire us, encourage us, equip us, and anoint us to keep pressing on in the power of Your Spirit for the glory of Your name. You remind us we're not alone in our passionate quest to see Your Kingdom come in our hearts and in the earth, until Your glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). I always like to come for the pre-conference of worship and prayer that prepares the way of the Lord -- first in us and then for the conference. The very first people I saw when I made it to town and checked in at the hotel late last night could hardly wait, telling me and everybody in the lobby, "We're ready to be emptied out and filled up!" Yes, Lord. Empty me out of everything that would hold me back from being "filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Through the worship and prayer, praise and proclamation of these coming days, lift every heavy burden and free me to fully enter into Your yoke with Your people who are hungry and thirsty for more of You. Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light; and in You I know I'll not be disappointed to find rest for my soul and renewal of my spirit with my friends and fellow travelers in the journey (Matthew 11:28-30). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in your prayers for a great outpouring of God's Holy Spirit at the Aldersgate Conference here in Greensboro, NC, July 1-5: www.Aldersgate09.org I'll be teaching two equipping sessions on Healing of Damaged Emotions and Developing a Healing Prayer Ministry, as well as sharing a message on healing of spirit, soul, and body as the Friday Night Keynote Speaker. Evening sessions are free if you're in the area. And I pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit in your heart and community as well. 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 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Peace with God 6-30-09

Good Morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart and mind with Yours, now and throughout my day. ... "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans5:1-5). What could be more important that to "have peace with God?" What is more powerful than to know that though our sins were as scarlet, we are whiter than snow (Isaiah 1:8). Though none are righteous apart from the grace of God, we need never be apart from the grace of God, forever made available to us through the blood of the cross of Christ. And in Christ, we "become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). It takes faith to believe that. And it takes faith to keep on believing that. But just having "faith the size of a mustard seed" can dig up the most deeply rooted tree of doubt and deception and cast it into the sea of Your truth (Luke 17:6). By Your grace, my faith is in You. My faith is not in all I think I want or need from You. My faith is not in some kind of idea that through faith, there will be no sufferings or disappointments or injustices in this broken, fallen world not yet redeemed as it will one day be (Romans 8:22-23; Revelation 21:5). My faith is in the God who created me, who loves me, who is always for me. My faith is in the God who keeps pouring His love into my heart by His Holy Spirit, giving me the hope and faith to know that He's at work in all the circumstances of my life. And that brings me peace, as I believe it by faith. In that peace, I can "boast in (my) hope of sharing in the glory of God" and I can "boast in (my) sufferings" that are always at work producing the character Your righteousness in my heart. And in that peace, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Joy and Gladness will Come 6-29-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Show me the way, be my truth, breathe Your life into me today. ... "For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song" (Isaiah 51:3). You are the God who turns the waste places into abundance and the wilderness into gardens. You redeem and restore, resurrect and revive. You give beauty for ashes, praise for depression, and joy for mourning (Isaiah 61:3). You see us as we are, never ignoring our suffering and pain. But You also see us as we will be, always redeeming our suffering into new testimonies of the comfort and glory of Your presence though the seasons we endure. So we can thank You now, for what will be evident then. We can praise You now, for all that will surely come to pass from the heart and hands of our redeeming God (Job 19:25). "Sing praises to the Lord, O you His faithful ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.... You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I give thanks to You forever" (Psalm 30:4-12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I was really excited this weekend to be the final teacher for the inaugural class of graduate students receiving their Masters in Christian Leadership at Lindsey Wilson College, affiliated the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church: www.lindsey.edu Dr. Terry Swan asked me to spend the final day with his students for a time of teaching, inspiration, and impartation for the prayer ministry of healing and deliverance. And this is the subject of my new book being printed for release at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries' Conference on the Holy Spirit later this week, Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-Filled Living, held this year in Greensboro, NC beginning this week, the first week of July: www.Aldersgate09.org I'm thrilled to be one of the Keynote Speakers this year with the Friday Night message on healing and also teaching two equipping sessions on healing of damaged emotions and healing prayer ministry. With deep, renewing worship and an atmosphere of people hungry for more of the Lord, Aldersgate is always a highlight of my year. Come if you can and also make plans to join us next summer. Please pray for a great move of God at this Conference! Becoming a People of Prayer Conference, Sept 17-19, 2009 in Brentwood, TN jointly hosted by the General Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. Friends, I'm excited to be one of the speakers at this prayer conference for deepening personal and corporate prayer life for Christians of all traditions. Please register on-line, come join us and spread the word: www.GBOD.org/PeopleofPrayer 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

Stand Firm, Keep Still, and See 6-26-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face, listen for Your voice, and follow Your lead. ... But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still' " (Exodus 14:13-14). You are the God who makes a way when it seems there is no way. You are the God of breakthrough and brokenness. Sometimes You breakthrough the barriers that block us from Your blessings, astounding us with Your power; sometimes You redeem and work together for good our brokenness and disappointment, not wasting a moment of our suffering in Your plan for our transformation. "Ah Lord God! It is You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17). "Abba, Father, for You all things are possible" (Mark 14:36). Whether it's the miracle of breakthrough or the transformation of brokenness, You are God; and we can trust You to accomplish Your deliverance from whatever would capture us or consume us. Your instructions to Your people through Moses were clear. "Do not be afraid" -- give no place to fear, and all the worry, anxiety, doubt, and unbelief it tempts us to embrace. "Stand firm" -- open our hearts to the faith of God to fill our hearts with courage, trusting in Your Spirit, not our own power, might, strength, or wisdom. "See the deliverance of the Lord" -- look with eyes of our heart opened to see the hand of God at work in all things, especially the things that are out of our control and contrary to Your perfect will, praising You for what You are doing instead of complaining to You about what it seems You're not doing. You are fighting for us in ways we cannot always see and working in us things we cannot always know. So sometimes we "have only to keep still" and believe -- believe in You, believe that You love us and You are for us, believe that You never leave us nor forsake us, no matter how things may seem or even what things may happen. "From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who works for those who wait for Him" (Isaiah 64:4). As we do, the very enemies of our soul who come to steal and kill and destroy our peace and hope and joy will be ambushed by our God; and we will never see them again. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be teaching a one day seminar this Saturday on healing and deliverance at Lindsey Wilson College, affiliated the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church: www.lindsey.edu Please keep us in prayer for healing, inspiration, and impartation into the lives and ministries of these college students. Becoming a People of Prayer Conference, Sept 17-19, 2009 in Brentwood, TN jointly hosted by the General Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. Friends, I'm excited to be one of the speakers at this prayer conference for deepening personal and corporate prayer life for Christians of all traditions. Please register on-line, come join us and spread the word: www.GBOD.org/PeopleofPrayer Please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-Filled Living, held this year in Greensboro, NC the first week of July: www.Aldersgate09.org I'm thrilled to be one of the Keynote Speakers this year with the Friday Night message on healing and also teaching two equipping sessions on healing of damaged emotions and healing prayer ministry. With deep, renewing worship and an atmosphere of people hungry for more of the Lord, Aldersgate is always a highlight of my year. Come if you can and also make plans to join us next summer. Please pray for a great move of God at this Conference! We hope to have my new book in time to introduce it at Aldersgate called Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in your prayers and I hope you'll want to be one of the first to order one. Please prayerfully consider joining with me in the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner this year if it would bring you joy to stand with us in this way. I'll be glad to talk with you about this means of God's steady provision for the advance of His Kingdom through our ministry of proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, in the love and power of God: MessiahMin@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 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Stay connected and tighten your budget with a great mobile device for under $20. Take a Peek!

No Excuses 6-24-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be my vision today. ... "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.' But they all alike began to make excuses.... Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.... For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner' " (Luke 14:16-24). Throughout Your ministry on earth, You were always proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God -- through Your words and actions, Your teachings and parables, and Your example of life. Your message then is Your message today, "The Kingdom has come. It's available to you now. Don't hold back, don't turn away, come enter in." The Kingdom is not just going to heaven when we die; it's having heaven in us as we live. "For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is within (us)" (Luke 17:21). "For the Kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Yet the response to Your message then is often also the response to Your message today. We "make excuses." Though You are the King of the Kingdom and You've prepared for us all the most incredible meal we'll ever taste, though You've welcomed us to come and "everything is ready now," we make excuses instead of entering into the fullness of all You long for us to have. Like those You called in that first generation, we've let so many things get in the way throughout every generation -- our possessions (Luke 14:18), our jobs (v. 14:19), our relationships (v. 14:20), and so much more. All these can be good things, but they are never to be the first thing (v. 14:26). All that would hold us back or turn us away must be surrendered to You at the foot of the cross, or we will never enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of God (v. 14:27). Lord, by the mercy of Your grace You've given me a heart to want to enter in. Help me settle in my heart that there will be no excuses, no holding back, no turning away. "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). In You and Your Kingdom alone will I know the "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" that You long for each us to have. So Your Kingdom come, Your will be done -- here on earth and here in my heart -- as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Becoming a People of Prayer Conference, Sept 17-19, 2009 in Brentwood, TN jointly hosted by the General Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. Friends, I'm excited to be one of the speakers at this prayer conference for deepening personal and corporate prayer life for Christians of all traditions. Please register on-line, come join us and spread the word: www.GBOD.org/PeopleofPrayer Please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-Filled Living, held this year in Greensboro, NC the first week of July: www.Aldersgate09.org I'm thrilled to be one of the Keynote Speakers this year with the Friday Night message on healing and also teaching two equipping sessions on healing of damaged emotions and healing prayer ministry. With deep, renewing worship and an atmosphere of people hungry for more of the Lord, Aldersgate is always a highlight of my year. Come if you can and also make plans to join us next summer. Please pray for a great move of God at this Conference! We hope to have my new book in time to introduce it at Aldersgate called Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in your prayers and I hope you'll want to be one of the first to order one. Please prayerfully consider joining with me in the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner this year if it would bring you joy to stand with us in this way. I'll be glad to talk with you about this means of God's steady provision for the advance of His Kingdom through our ministry of proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, in the love and power of God: MessiahMin@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 Daily Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Faith Tested by Fire 6-23-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give You my heart and soul this day and every day. Come guide my thoughts and steps in the way that leads to life in You. ... "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith -- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire -- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:3-7). When I "suffer various trials" and when my faith is "tested by fire," I will not fear, my peace will not flee, my inheritance will not fade. No matter what comes, I am "protected by the power of God," steady and secure in Your steadfast and unfailing love for me as Your son. In this world, there will be fires and waters that come, but they will not consume me or overwhelm me for You are with me through them all (Isaiah 43:1-7). You will only use them to strengthen me in the certainty of Your hand upon me and Your heart within me. All this is by Your grace and for the "praise and glory and honor" of Your name, as You seek to form Your nature in me. "My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). So Your Holy Spirit leads me to pray these crazy prayers that are guaranteed to lead me through these crazy trials, all because You are crazy about me. You only want the best for me, and You've already paid the price for me to have it (Revelation 5:9). This is my "inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." This is my "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-Filled Living, held this year in Greensboro, NC the first week of July: www.Aldersgate09.org I'm thrilled to be one of the Keynote Speakers this year with the Friday Night message on healing and also teaching two equipping sessions on healing of damaged emotions and healing prayer ministry. With deep, renewing worship and an atmosphere of people hungry for more of the Lord, Aldersgate is always a highlight of my year. Come if you can and make plans to join us next summer! We hope to have my new book in time to introduce it at Aldersgate called Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in your prayers and I hope you'll want to be one of the first to order one. Please prayerfully consider joining with me in the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner this year if it would bring you joy to stand with us in this way. I'll be glad to talk with you about this means of God's steady provision for the advance of His Kingdom through our ministry of proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, in the love and power of God: MessiahMin@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

Turn Aside to See 6-22-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I steady my soul and focus my thoughts on You alone. ... "Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, 'I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.' When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am' (Exodus 3:1-4). Moses got up one morning, like every morning, and went to work. He was going about his business, tending the flock and the things entrusted to his care. Yet he didn't know how close he was to "the mountain of God." He didn't know the Living Presence of the Living God was so near, even in his everyday life -- "though indeed He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27). But it was as Moses "turned aside to see" that You spoke to him out of the flame of fire of the blazing bush. There You gave him eyes to see and ears to hear that You were present. And there in Your Presence, Moses stood on "holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). O God, You are "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). And You have poured the consuming fire of Your steadfast love and ever-abiding Presence into our hearts by Your Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Every day, Your Spirit longs to set our hearts ablaze with the fiery passion for Jesus and for the flocks and things entrusted to our care. By Your grace, we carry the fire of God wherever we go. We don't have to go to a mountain in the desert or to a temple downtown to turn aside to see You in our midst. You are always here, always abiding within us by Your Spirit -- the "Spirit of Christ" within us, the hope of glory (Romans 8:9; Colossians 1:27). Through the blood of the Lamb cleansing our sins and the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit consuming our hearts, we are Your sons and daughters. And wherever we go is Your holy ground, for You are with us and You are within us. In Christ we have become "the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). And like Moses and Isaiah and all who have eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of Your ever-abiding Presence, our right response to Your mercy and love is to turn aside to see and say, "Here I am, Lord. Send me" (Exodus 3:4; Isaiah 6:8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-Filled Living, held this year in Greensboro, NC the first week of July: www.Aldersgate09.org I'm thrilled to be one of the Keynote Speakers this year with the Friday Night message on healing and also teaching two equipping sessions on healing of damaged emotions and healing prayer ministry. With deep, renewing worship and an atmosphere of people hungry for more of the Lord, Aldersgate is always a highlight of my year. Come if you can and make plans to join us next summer! We hope to have my new book in time to introduce it at Aldersgate called Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. Please keep this in your prayers and I hope you'll want to be one of the first to order one. Please prayerfully consider joining with me in the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner this year if it would bring you joy to stand with us in this way. I'll be glad to talk with you about this means of God's steady provision for the advance of His Kingdom through our ministry of proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, in the love and power of God: MessiahMin@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

Love Deeply from the Heart 6-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call on Your name and trust in Your grace. ... "Through (Jesus) you have come to trust in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart" (1 Peter 1:21-22). I do trust You, Lord; help me trust You more. I do love You, Lord; help me love You more. My faith and hope are set on You alone, in every dimension of Your Being. You are God my Father, full of compassion and tender mercy, creating me with purpose and calling and destiny, grounded in my identity as a child of God. You are God the Son, my Lord and Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords, always perfectly revealing the heart and word of our Father. You are God the Holy Spirit, always sustaining and filling me, purifying and renewing me, guiding me to Jesus and leading me in the ways of truth and intimacy in the communion of a deeply personal relationship with God. I trust that You are for me. And if God be for me, who can be against me? "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) And at the same time, while I know You love me. I also know I need to give and receive "genuine mutual love." I know You also created me to love and be loved "deeply from the heart." That's also Your will and Your heart for me as Your child. What father doesn't long to have that for his sons and daughters? And I know that's a longing of the heart of my heavenly Father. For all of Your children to know that we are deeply loved by You and one another is of highest priority among all the principles and commands of the Kingdom of God. "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14). So Lord, keep making Your priorities my priorities. Keep forming the nature of Your heart in my heart, giving me grace to love and be loved "deeply from the heart" and experience Your great gift of "genuine mutual love." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please prayerfully consider joining with me in the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries as an Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert Covenant Partner this year if it would bring you joy to stand with us in this way. I'll be glad to talk with you about this means of God's steady provision for the advance of His Kingdom through our ministry of proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, binding up the brokenhearted and setting the captives free, in the love and power of God: MessiahMin@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

Breath of Life 6-19-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be my Way, my Truth, my Life today. ... "The God who made the world and everything in it, He who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to mortals all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:24-25). You are not a distant God. You are not indifferent, detached, or aloof. And You are not a God created by our own hands in our own image so that we can live our lives on our own terms. That's just another way of worshipping ourselves instead of worshipping You. You are the God who gives us life and breath and all things. Apart from You, we can do nothing. Apart from You, we are nothing (John 15:5). And it has been in Your heart from the beginning of our creation that we would never be apart from You. When You gathered up the dust of the earth and breathed Adam's human spirit into existence, You could have merely spoken the word, "Let there be life!" as when You created the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the rest of Your creation. But instead, when You created human beings, You drew very near. You put Your hands in Your dirt and carefully shaped Adam's body in Your image. And then You drew nearer still, so near as to breathe Your "breath of life" into his very nostrils (Genesis 2:7). There are few images more intimate than that. You are the God who created us for intimacy with You. And when we pull back or turn away, You're always there, calling out for us to come back to You, speaking by Your Spirit to our spirits, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9) "Deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:7). You're always watching and waiting, "filled with compassion," longing for us to come back to the place of intimacy in the embrace of Your arms, always stretched out to welcome us home (Luke 15:20). You long for us to realize that apart from the breath of Your Holy Spirit abiding in our human spirits, we would shrivel and die. It's only in You, and only as we allow You to abide in us, that we can "live and move and have our being" as we were created to be (Acts 17:28). So come, Holy Spirit of the Living God; fill me afresh with Your breath of life in Christ today and every day (Ephesians 5:18). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/19! --the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Invitation for Spiritual Retreat with Laura Beach: There is still room for you to attend the spiritual refreshment retreats for women of faith this month. Open dates are June 29 or 30 at A Quiet Place Retreat Center in Bryantsville, Kentucky. If you need a day to be still and know God (Psalm 46:10), these retreats are designed for just that purpose. Testimonies of renewal, healing and restoration have poured from women who have attended in past months. For details or to register, contact laura@equippinglydia.org . These retreats are sponsored by Equipping Lydia, www.equippinglydia.org in association with Messiah Ministries. It's not too late to register to come join us the first week of July in Greensboro, NC for the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-filled Living: www.Aldersgate09.org It's always a refreshing, empowering highlight for my year, and I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year with a message on healing. Please register on-line to come join us for these Messiah Ministries prayer ministry events later this summer: July 31-August 2, 2009 -- Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat Center in Lancaster, Kentucky led by Tommy Hays. You'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension in spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterHealingWeekend August 10-13, 2009 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level I Come for a focused time of training, equipping, and impartation through discipleship, personal ministry, and mentoring, led by Tommy Hays and the teaching team. We will study and experience a biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterSchoolOfMinistry 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

To Die and Live 6-18-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up in the place of honor and authority throughout my day. ... "The saying is sure: If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him; He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful -- for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:11-13). Lord, what does it mean to die with You and to live with You? ... It seems I hear You say, "My son, to live and to die with Me is to entrust yourself to Me. It's your choice to allow Me to change the way you think and choose and feel in your mind and will and emotions. It's a daily death and a daily life. As you die daily, you live forever in Me." Yes, Lord. That's what I choose. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Help me die to my will and entrust myself to Your will. Transform my nature into Your nature, a little more each day and all along the way. Expose and uproot those things in me that are not yet like You, and replace them with Your Spirit. You increase as I decrease, and make me more like You. It's in You that I want to "live and move and have (my) being" (Acts 17:28). It's in You that I want to be "crucified with Christ" and made alive "in Christ." Let it become more true each day that "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:19-20). So Lord, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust myself to You. Let it become true on earth, as it already is in heaven, that all I am and all I have is Yours. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/19! --the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com It's not too late to register to come join us the first week of July in Greensboro, NC for the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-filled Living: www.Aldersgate09.org It's always a refreshing, empowering highlight for my year, and I'm excited to be a Keynote Speaker this year with a message on healing. Please register on-line to come join us for these Messiah Ministries prayer ministry events later this summer: July 31-August 2, 2009 -- Healing Prayer Weekend at Cliffview Retreat Center in Lancaster, Kentucky led by Tommy Hays. You'll receive teaching and ministry in a peaceful, worshipful retreat setting. Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore God’s order in every dimension in spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterHealingWeekend August 10-13, 2009 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry - Level I Come for a focused time of training, equipping, and impartation through discipleship, personal ministry, and mentoring, led by Tommy Hays and the teaching team. We will study and experience a biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For Information or To Register: ClickHereToRegisterSchoolOfMinistry 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