Join me in my daily journey of prayer. I write these each morning send them out fresh "Morning by Morning" to start each day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Subscribe to receive these prayers by email at Messiah-Ministries.org
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Holy Laughter and Spirit-filled Joy 1-19-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart as I begin this day in the communion of prayer with You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. …
“He who sits in the heavens laughs…” (Psalm 2:4).
You are a God who is full of joy. You are the King of the Kingdom of God; and Your Kingdom is full of joy—“righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Whether You’re laughing with the joy of the Father heart of God as You delight in Your children or laughing in the face of the foolish arrogance and rebellion of those who think they know better than You, You laugh with the joy of the Lord, with the joy of the One who sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Psalm 2:1-4). And You long to fill us with Your joy—“so that (Your) joy may be in (us) and that (our) joy may be made complete” (John 15:11). You are not the grim-faced God many imagine, but the God who is always moving us to pray by Your Spirit, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12, KJV). And there is no greater joy than the joy of one who knows the fullness of our salvation in You.
The restoration of holy laughter and Spirit-filled joy is a great witness of Your goodness and the power of Your redemption for those who keep trusting You and calling on Your name through the darkest of days and hardest of times. “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced…. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!” (Psalm 126:1-5).
Lord fill me with the fullness of Your joy today. Let me see Your smile and hear You laugh. Your laugh is contagious and Your smile is irresistible. And though there is so much in the world and in our lives that would break our hearts and try to steal our joy, You are the God who loves to give “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness… that (You) might be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3, KJV). You love to bless us with Your joy in the very places where we feel almost embarrassed to laugh again in the strength of the joy of the Lord because the enemy of our souls wants to crush our spirits and bind us up in the grave clothes of mourning. But Your heart and Your Word says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” as you allow the Lord your God to turn again your sorrows into singing and your mourning into dancing (Luke 6:25). “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Thank You this morning, for filling me afresh with Your joy. Your joy, O Lord, is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Your smile, O Lord, is my delight (Numbers 6:25). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
This Weekend! Messiah Ministries will be leading again the 3rd Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit the weekend of January 22-23, 2010, hosted at Church of the Savior on Brannon Road (www.cosonline.org). Together we will seek the Lord for His vision for our city and region this year, joining in prayer, praise, and proclamation, while hearing from the leaders, intercessors, and watchmen on the wall of our city and Central Kentucky, Bluegrass region (Margaret Therkelsen, Bob Hale, Tom Monroe, Linda Whitaker, and others). Rob Poindexter and many worship teams from across our region will lead us in prophetic worship and praise throughout the weekend. Come join us if you can and join with us in prayer if you can't. I pray for unity and awakening of the Body of Christ and the City-wide Church in your region as well, as the army of the arises to advance the Kingdom of God in our generation. For details, contact Marilyn at: DirofMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591
Friday Night 7-10pm; Saturday 9am-9pm, with Linda Whitaker sharing a prophetic word of our city Friday Night and Margaret Therkelsen speaking on Holy Spirit revival Saturday Night, with praise, praise, and proclamation all day Saturday.
Please spread the word! All are Welcome!
January 27-30, 2010 -The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I
Come Join us for focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. 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 more information or to Register On-Line for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Click Here: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591
Scholarships are available as much as possible to that all may attend.
Please spread the word!
Subscribe for 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
Monday, January 18, 2010
Enduring Faith 1-18-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Though the mountains may tremble and the seas may roar, though the earth may split open in gaping wounds groaning for the healing and redemption of all creation to come, my hope and security is in You alone. You are my rock and my refuge, my strong tower and strength, my Lord and my God in whom I trust. …
“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
The grace of enduring faith is not something you can receive in a prayer line. It must be established in the dark nights of the soul, forged in the fires of affliction, rooted and grounded in the seasons of hungering and thirsting for more of Your presence and peace in the desert days of the wilderness. Enduring faith, persevering faith, tenacious, fearless, unyielding faith must be developed and strengthened one day at a time—even moment by moment and morning by morning. That’s the kind of faith that sees beyond the circumstances of the moment to the promises of God to come, that sees to the heart of a matter and not just the surface, that never doubts for a moment that though it’s often darkest before the dawn, the sun will always rise in glory for the coming of another day.
Enduring faith allows hard times to bring out the best in us. It builds our character and shows us the true nature of our current character and how much further we have to go by Your grace to become all You have created us to be. Enduring faith allows us to stand and keep on standing when everything around us may tremble and shake and fall because we stand in the strength of the Lord alone by the mercy of Your grace, the authority of Your name, and the power of Your Spirit: “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” (Romans 5:1-5).
So I praise You for the miracles of Your power and for the oceans of Your love. I praise You for the waves of Your Spirit and thickness of the glory of Your presence. But I also praise You that You are with me through the seasons of suffering and the trials of tribulation. Those are the times of deepest intimacy with You, even in the moments when we may feel You seem so far away. As the old poem about the footprints in sand reminds us, those are the moment when it may seem like You’re no longer walking with us, because those are the moments You carry us. And in the days of great tribulation to come in the midst of the great final harvest just before Your return, we will be thankful then for the deep intimacy and enduring faith You’ve established in us now (Matthew 24:29).
“By your endurance you will gain your souls…. 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 21:19-36). “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). One day Your Kingdom will come in final victory upon the earth, but every moment of every day now, let Your Kingdom come in my heart and establish Your faith in my life. By the power of Your grace, I want to be one of those who endure to the end in faith to see the coming of my King in glory (Matthew 24:27). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Messiah Ministries will be leading again the 3rd Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit the weekend of January 22-23, 2010, hosted at Church of the Savior on Brannon Road (www.cosonline.org). Together we will seek the Lord for His vision for our city and region this year, joining in prayer, praise, and proclamation, while hearing from the leaders, intercessors, and watchmen on the wall of our city and Central Kentucky, Bluegrass region (Margaret Therkelsen, Bob Hale, Tom Monroe, Linda Whitaker, and others). Rob Poindexter and many worship teams from across our region will lead us in prophetic worship and praise throughout the weekend. Come join us if you can and join with us in prayer if you can't. I pray for unity and awakening of the Body of Christ and the City-wide Church in your region as well, as the army of the arises to advance the Kingdom of God in our generation. For details, contact Marilyn at: DirofMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 Please spread the word! All are Welcome!
January 27-30, 2010 -The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I
Come Join us for focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. 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 more information or to Register On-Line for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Click Here: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591
Scholarships are available as much as possible to that all may attend.
Please spread the word!
Subscribe for 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
Friday, January 15, 2010
“To Him Who Overcomes” 1-15-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I invoke the power and the glory of Your name with the first thoughts of my mind and the first words of my mouth now in these first moments of my day. …
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life…. I will give you the crown of life…. (And you) shall not be overcome by the second death…. I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it…. I will give power over the nations…. and I will give him the morning star….. (I will clothe him) in white garments, and I will not blot out his name before My Father and before His angels…. I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name…. I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:17-3:22, NKJV).
O Lord, open my ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to Your Church for this hour, for this new year of this new season, for this generation of all generations of the history of the earth. You chose us to be alive in this generation of all generations. And You have called us to be overcomers—to overcome the darkness of these days, the darkness of the nature our own hearts in the areas not yet fully surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, and the darkness of the hearts of those who never will. You have called us to be victorious, “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NKJV).
We overcome the darkness because You have made us “strong with all the strength that comes from (Your) glorious power, (that we may) be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled (us) to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. (You have) rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of (the) beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (through His blood)” (Colossian 1:11-14). “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:10-12, NKJV).
By the grace of God, by the power of the blood of the Lamb, we will overcome, we will endure, we will be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus over all the powers of darkness. This year we will see mighty victories of the Lamb and His legions of worshippers and warriors who fearlessly go forth into the battles You set before us, knowing the victory is already won for the battles already belong to the Lord. But we will go from victory to victory as we overcome. We cannot be overcomers unless we are willing to advance against the challenges we are commissioned to overcome.
So let us not hold back in doubt or fear in the challenges we face in the present. Let us not grow complacent to rest in the victories or discouraged by what seemed to be losses of the past. And let us not be worried about the consequences of boldly confronting the powers of darkness that threaten the inheritance of our future. Let us arise and go forth! Let us “Arise and shine, for (our) Light has come! And the glory of the Lord has risen upon (us). For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over (us) and His glory will be seen upon (us)!” (Isaiah 60:1-2).
Yes, Lord. We will overcome! This will be the year of the overcomers! And we will enter into the reward of our inheritance in You, all the promises You have declared “to him who overcomes”—all by Your grace and by the power of Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray for you to be an overcomer, more than a conqueror this year in the name of Jesus. As the Lord empowers you to patiently endure, now that He is maturing you so He can advance you in His victories in your life and in the earth as His kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. God bless you!
Messiah Ministries will be leading again the 3rd Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit the weekend of January 22-23, 2010, hosted at Church of the Savior on Brannon Road. Together we will seek the Lord for His vision for our city and region this year, joining in prayer, praise, and proclamation, and hearing from the leaders, intercessors, and watchmen on the wall of our city and Central Kentucky, Bluegrass region (Margaret Therkelsen, Jim Stone, Tom Monroe, and others). Rob Poindexter and many worship teams from across our region will lead us in prophetic worship and praise throughout the weekend. Come join us if you can and join with us in prayer if you can't. I pray for unity and awakening of the Body of Christ and the City-wide Church in your region as well, as the army of the arises to advance the Kingdom of God in our generation. For details, contact Marilyn at: DirofMinistries@aol.com Please spread the word!
January 27-30, 2010 -The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I
Come Join us for focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. 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 more information or to Register On-Line for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Click Here: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker at DirOfMinistries@aol.com
Scholarships are available as much as possible to that all may attend.
Please spread the word!
Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night January 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Laura Beach will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Green will be leading in Worship. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
February 20, 2010 A Day Apart - Women's Ministry Event, for Women of Faith
Friends, I want to encourage to come to this spiritual renewal event led by Laura Beach (Spiritual Director of Equipping Lydia Ministries in association with our ministry) and hosted by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries at their home base near Nashville, Tennessee. Click HERE for more information. www.equippinglydia.org
Subscribe for 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
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Year of Blessing and Prosperity 1-14-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You into every moment of my day. …
“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).
The first words of the first Psalm point to a path for leading a blessed and prosperous life. They acknowledge You and affirm Your ways as the spiritual compass for the journey of life. At the beginning, You set before each of us the freedom to choose which path we will take and who will be our guide. Your Word promises strength and endurance, fruitfulness and prosperity, for those who delight in the law of the Lord. And the heart of the law of the Lord is love—to love God and love one another (Matthew 22:36-40).
I want this year to be a year of blessing and prosperity. I want to delight in Your law and walk in the path that leads to the abundant life You long for me to have and make available for me to have every moment of every day (John 10:10). As every Psalm after the first Psalm points out, the journey will not always be easy, some days will be harder than others, and there is no immunity from questions or pain along the path that leads through life in a broken, fallen world, surrounded by broken, fallen people, including ourselves. But the journey is as important as the destination, because the journey is what makes us and matures us into who are and who we are to become, as we grow up “to maturity” in Christ through all the challenges of the journey (Ephesians 4:13). It’s in the journey with You, as we learn Your ways, that You teach us our identity and how to live into our inheritance (Ephesians 1:11).
There have been times when I have not used my freedom to choose well. And there may be times again when I’m tempted to turn more to the ways of the wicked rather than road of the righteous. So here and now, at the beginning of the journey of this new year, I am asking You to be my Guide and set my feet upon the path that leads to life. Put Your thoughts in my mind. Put Your desires in my heart. Wake me up every morning and draw me into the place of prayer in the silence of surrender to begin each day seeking Your face and listening for Your voice. Give me the power of Your grace to follow where You lead and go where You send. Then I will know the blessings of obedience that come through choosing the law of Your love. Then I will prosper, even as my soul prospers (3 John 2). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
February 20, 2010 A Day Apart - Women's Ministry Event, for Women of Faith
Friends, I want to encourage to come to this spiritual renewal event led by Laura Beach (Spiritual Director of Equipping Lydia Ministries in association with our ministry) and hosted by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries at their home base near Nashville, Tennessee. Click HERE for more information. www.equippinglydia.org
January 27-30, 2010 -The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I
Come Join us for focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. 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 more information or to Register On-Line for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Click Here: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker at DirOfMinistries@aol.com
Scholarships are available as much as possible to that all may attend.
Please spread the word!
Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night January 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Laura Beach will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Green will be leading in Worship. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
Subscribe for 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
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
No Bad Days 1-13-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As the eyes of my spirit rise to seek Your face, let the ears of my heart listen for Your voice. …
As the eyes of my spirit
Now seek Your face
Let the ears of my heart
Listen now for Your Words of grace
All the earth be silent
And my soul be still
As I watch and I wait
For Your perfect will
You are Lord and I trust You
You are Lord and I love You
You are Lord of all my life
And I give this day to You …
“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:5-8).
Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile the days filled with both exuberance and sadness, laughter and tears, joy and pain. But You never said the journey would be easy, just that You would be with us through it all, every moment of every day—the good days and hard days, the good moments and hard moments of any given day. All the moments of my days may not always feel good, but You will always be God. And as I entrust myself and all the moments of my days to Your care, every moment becomes an opportunity to grow in my trust of Your unfailing love for me.
You are a good God. You are faithful and true. Which does not mean I have some kind of spiritual immunity from sorrow or pain from life in a broken, fallen world where things happen every day that break Your heart and mine. It means You are my hope, my rock, and my salvation; You are my healer and deliverer; You are my very present help in times of need and my ever present God in whatever times I encounter. Nothing can separate me from Your love, because You are for me; and if God be for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31-39)
As I trust in You, even the hard days become good days, because You redeem all days to draw me closer to You and make me more like You each day. “For I know my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). And by Your Holy Spirit, who is always with me, always within me, there are ultimately no bad days, even if there are hard days—only good days that I can look back and say, “My good God was with me through it all.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night January 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Laura Beach will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Green will be leading in Worship. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
Please join us for our 4 Day Intensive School of Spiritual Ministry Level 1 at the end of January. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
Subscribe for 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
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Jesus, You’re the One 1-12-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. And You are the One to whom I entrust my life and this day. …
You are One with the Father
You are One with the Spirit
You’re the One who is worthy of all trust
You’re the One above the heavens
You’re the One above the earth
You’re the One who is worthy of my love
You’re the One way to Heaven
You’re the One above all others
You’re the One who is Lord of my life
Yes You’re the One
The only One
You’re the One who’s worth living for
Jesus, You’re the One
Yes You’re the One
The living One
You’re the One who I am living for
Jesus, You’re the One
You’re the One who forgives me
You’re the One who heals me
You’re the One who redeems all things
You’re the One who is faithful
You’re the One who is able
You’re the One to whom I’m so grateful every day
Yes You’re the One
The only One
You’re the One who’s worth living for
Jesus, You’re the One
Yes You’re the One
The living One
You’re the One who I am living for
Jesus, You’re the One
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for writing this song of faith and praise on my heart and singing it through my spirit this morning. You are always lifting my eyes to Jesus, who is always revealing the heart of my Father, who is always pouring out His Holy Spirit into my heart (John 14:26). Thank You, Lord Jesus, for abiding in me and allowing me to abide within You in the mystery of union and communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through the grace of God. “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you…. Those who love Me will keep My word, and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them…. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:19-26). Thank You, my Father in heaven and in my heart, that You continually pour out the blessing of Your love and abiding Presence by Your Spirit into my heart. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (who) has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Thank You, Lord God Almighty, for You are One and You are holy (Deuteronomy 6:4). And You are forever pouring out the mercy and grace of Your love to me in every dimension of Your Being—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I love You, Lord; and I thank You, Lord, for first loving me. You’re the One who loves me, and You’re the One I love in return. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friends, I've made it home form my 'round the world ministry trip to start off this year proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the nations. I prayed in the air as we passed over the nations of the earth leaving Kentucky to the east and returning home from the west. I say the Lord move in the majesty of His healing love and power in Israel and the Philippines, and in my heart and soul all along the way. Thank you for praying for me and joining in the journey with me. May this be a year that the Word of God and the power of His Spirit goes forth in our lives and in the earth as never before. God bless you as He uses you to be as His hands and heart in the way He chooses for your life and mine in this new season!
Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night January 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Jeff Green will be leading in Worship. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
Please join us for our 4 Day Intensive School of Spiritual Ministry Level 1 at the end of January. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.clom
Subscribe for 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
Saturday, January 09, 2010
A New Land in a New Season with New Promises 1-10-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. …
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you’ ” (Genesis 12:1).
As I leave last year and enter this new year, as I go from the last season and enter into this new season, I want to go only where You lead me and see only what You show me. Only You truly know the depth of all You have called me to leave behind and all You have prepared for me to receive. But no matter what, I know the promises of Your Word are true for me and for all who commit their way to the Lord: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV).
By Your grace, I am one of those who loves You. I love You because You first loved me. I have committed my way to You because I believe You are the Way. I have chosen to follow You wherever You lead me and to go wherever You send me because I know You know what is best for me, the purposes for which You have created me, and the unique ways You want to reveal Yourself and live Your life through me.
When Abram let go of his old life to embrace his new life, when he left behind the last season to enter into his new season, he really had no idea where he was headed or who he would become. He didn’t know the sacrifices that would be asked of him or the steps of faith he would be asked to take. He just knew he was willing to trust You. And he believed Your promise to bless him there and to be a means of Your blessing to others (Genesis 12:2). And even when he arrived to the land of Canaan, to the promised land You showed him, “Abram journeyed on by stages” through the land (Genesis 12:8).
Thank You for the stages and seasons of my life. Thank You for Your mercy to not change all of the circumstances of all of my life all at once. “Little by little” You lead me to advance into the places and provisions of Your promises, with breakthroughs along the way (Deuteronomy 7:22). And I would not go, but for the grace of God. But because You have lavished up Your grace upon grace – all the tender mercies of God I’ve never deserved – I will follow and I will go because I will trust You. I trust You because I love You. And I love You because You first loved me (1 John 4:19). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friends, may the Lord bless you and He leads you into this new year of this new season. May He give you courage to follow where He leads and go where He sends. I'm praying for you and thank you for praying for me, as we journey in stages, with His breakthroughs along the way.
Thank you for praying for me as I began this new year leaving Kentucky to the east and coming home from the west, literally going around the world to proclaim this gospel of the Kingdom of God and minister the healing love of God to the people of the nations where He has sent me. I'll fly home early tomorrow morning from the Philippines, where the Lord has refreshed me, renewed me, and I pray He has used me in the lives of others at the International Aldersgate Renewal Conference of the Holy Spirit here. We're hearing many stories of salvation, healing, deliverance, and renewal from those who came to join us -- over a thousand people. Thank you for your prayers and all your encouragement and support that allow me to minister at home and abroad with a passion for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray for you an impartation of every blessing the Lord has poured into me (Romans 1:11). Be blessed in this new year of this new season in your life!
Subscribe for 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
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Morning by Morning, Thursday 1-7-09 – Passion for His Name
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart and soul with Yours. Fill my spirit with Your Spirit. Let my body be an extension of Your Body and my life be a vessel for Your Life. …
“In the path of Your judgments, O Lord, we wait for You; Your name and Your renown are the soul’s desire. My soul yearns for You in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks You” (Isaiah 26:8-9).
Your name and Your fame are my desire
That the light of Your glory would fill my heart
And set me ablaze with Your holy fire
Let Your name be known
Let the seeds of Your Word be sown
That the people of all nations may see Your power
The power of Your love is the glory of Your name
The majesty of Your mercy is the fountain of Your fame
The strength of Your might is my strong tower
Come now in my heart and now in the earth
Come now in the nations of all the world
From generation to generation we have longed for this hour
O Lord, give me this passion for Your name. Never left my love grow cold or my heart grow weary. Let Your mercies be new every morning and my encounters with Your Presence be fresh every day. I seek Your face and long for coming in my life and in the earth, never satisfied with anything less than all You have for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, I'm overwhelmed with the hunger and passion for the name of Jesus here at our Conference in The Philippines. Thank you for your prayers. May the Holy Spirit continually fill all our hearts with an ever-increasing passion for the name and renown of our God. God bless you!
Subscribe for 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
Monday, January 04, 2010
Bold Charge 1-5-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Anchor of my soul, I begin my day steadfast in the assurance of Your Presence and the power of Your love. …
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Yesterday we travelled from the plains at Manila up to the mountains at Baguio for the International Aldersgate Conference in the Philippines. On the way, we drove past San Juan Hill, reminding me of the site of Teddy Roosevelt’s bold charge up its slopes with his volunteer Rough Riders in the fight for liberation of these islands during the Spanish-American War. Taking heavy casualties against overwhelming odds, there was really no choice but to go up in a courageous advance to victory or turn and run in defeat. Teddy Roosevelt chose courage over cowardice, risking an uncertain fate over certain failure, and went up with a shout into the bloodiest battle of the war. They took that hill, stood their ground, and the battle was won.
Lord, I pray for a spirit of courage and bravery to go where You send me, to fight the battles You set before me, to advance and never retreat, to charge forward in the victories of the Lord and never surrender. Be with me wherever I go, and let me only go where You send me. Give me holy boldness to charge up the heights to secure the strategic positions You’ve commissioned to me and those You’ve aligned with me in the advance of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. In the power of Your grace, without being frightened or dismayed, but only strong and courageous in the strength of the Lord, let us “go in to take possession of the land that the Lord (our) God gives (us) to possess” for the coming of Your Kingdom and the glory of Your name (Joshua 1:11). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for the International Aldersgate Conference of the Holy Spirit beginning tonight here in The Philippines. I'll be preaching and ministering at the Pastor's Summit and the General Conference. Back home, I'll be leading our 4 Day Intensive Course at the end of January, The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry again. Please contact Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, for details and please spread the word: DirOfMinistries@aol.com
Subscribe for 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
Sunday, January 03, 2010
“Seize the Hope” 1-4-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Blessed are they who hunger, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are they are thirst, for they shall be filled. Lord, make me more hungry, more thirsty, for more of You this day and every day. …
“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:17-20, NKJV).
As we enter into this new year, we enter times and conditions we have never entered before. But we do have to enter into it in a way we’ve never entered before. We can enter in though the Way the leads to Life. We can enter in through the One who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). You’ve already gone before us into every struggle we will endure, every challenge we will face, every obstacle we will overcome by the grace of God. You’ve already entered into “the Presence behind the veil” to that we can always enter into that holiest of holy places of Your ever-abiding Presence. This is our certain hope, our sure and steadfast confidence in You, the only One who can anchor our souls in peace. For You are our High Priest of the Presence of God; You are our Melchizedek—our “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace” (Hebrews 7:1-3).
No doubt in this year, You will continue to fulfill Your prophetic promise to shake all things that can be shaken, so that only what cannot be shaken remains (Hebrews 12:27). And not all things that we think we have to have will make it through the shaking yet to come. But the One Thing we must have, will be the One Thing who will bring us through. We must “seize the hope set before us” and You alone are that hope (Hebrews 6:18). “One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! ‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, do I seek” (Psalm 27:4-8).
When I began the journey into what became this past year of my life, I had no idea of the heights of joy or the depths of pain I would encounter or endure. Some things are left better unknown. But what I do know is that You were with me through it all. And this is the anchor of my soul, my sure and steadfast hope, for this new year and every year to come. There’s nothing I will encounter that I will not overcome by the grace of my God, who redeems all things for my good, no matter their source or intent, as I seek Your face and entrust it to Your hands (Romans 8:28). That’s the hope I want to seize. That’s the Hope who has seized me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, I've made it from Jerusalem to Manila, where I'll be ministering in The Philippines this week at the International Aldersgate Conference of the Holy Spirit in the mountains at Bagia. I'm thrilled to be invited to be a keynote speaker, preaching five times this week, before coming home on my journey around the world to begin this new year of ministry proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the nations. Thank you for joining me in the journey!
Back home, I'll be leading our 4 Day Intensive Course at the end of January, The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry again. Please contact Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, for details and please spread the word: DirOfMinistries@aol.com
Happy New Year, my friends! May our King of Righteousness and Peace favor you and prosper you in the abundance of His love for you this year. "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). God bless you!
Subscribe for 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
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Jerusalem in the New Year 1-1-10
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Prince of Peace, and I declared Your praise to begin this New Year from the city You have named for peace at the heart of the earth—Jerusalem. …
“But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever; Your name endures to all generations. You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come. For Your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity upon its dust. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer. Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord: That He looked down from Him holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die; so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when people gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord” (Psalm 102:12-22).
Jerusalem is the City of our God. Here set apart the holy place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, but You provided a lamb instead. And here, in the same place, You were willing to sacrifice Your only Son, who is the Lamb of Sacrifice. Here, You were crucified, dead, and buried. And here You were raised from the dead. Here, You ascended into heaven, and here You will return in the same way. Lord, let Your name be declared in Zion; let Your praise be proclaimed in Jerusalem.
And one day, there will be a New Jerusalem. Here in this place in a generation to come, the broken will be healed, the bound will be free; there will be no more wars or sadness or sorrow, but only peace and joy in the reign of the King of Peace. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne declaring, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be His peoples, and God himself will be with them; He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the One who is seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new’ ” (Revelation 21:1-5).
As the season of 2009 comes to a close and the season of 2010 begins, I “pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers. For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good’ ” (Psalm 122:6-9). Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, at the beginning of the New Year, I pray for the peace of the New Jerusalem to come—here in my heart and here in the earth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Happy New Year, my friends! May the Lord of Peace favor you and prosper you in the abundance of His love for you this year. "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). God bless you!
Subscribe for 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
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Spirit of Elijah at Mount Carmel 12-30-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. May Your Holy Spirit prepare the way of the Lord in my heart for a greater passion of the Holy Fire of Your Presence in my life every day. …
“So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:20-21).
Of all the holy places I wanted to see and all the holy encounters I wanted to experience on my second journey to the land of Israel, coming to the high place on top of Mount Carmel was my deepest burning desire. I wanted to stand where Elijah stood, preach what Elijah preached, and pray what Elijah prayed when You opened up Your heavens and rained down Your fire. And by the grace of God, who gives us the desires of our hearts, today I have. You anointed Elijah with boldness to proclaim the truth, courage to fearlessly stand firm in the face of governmental and religious compromise and persecution, and faith to believe that You are the God who confirms Your Word by Your Spirit with Your power.
And on the rocks of the very mountain where I stood today, You moved in Elijah’s heart with a zealous passion to call the people to turn their hearts to You: “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (v. 18:36-37). Elijah preached and prayed under the anointed mantle of God, with fire in his bones and passion in heart. “Then the fire of the Lord fell” (v. 18:38). They say for centuries this place was called by Arabs and Jews alike, El Muhraqa, meaning “the place of burning,” marked by the black stains of Your consuming fire on the rocks of this mountain.
When Your fire fell that day, the hearts Your people turned to put their hope and trust in You alone as God. “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God” (v. 18:39). O Lord God, let Your fire fall in my heart every day. Anoint me with the mantle of Elijah, the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord to preach and pray with a fiery zeal and burning passion to see hearts turn to You. Confirm Your Word in Your power by Your Spirit. I take up this mantle, by the power of Your grace, in trusting submission to Your will, because I believe You’ve put this on my heart to honor You with my life this way.
I join my heart with Yours and with those You are anointing in our day, for our generation and those to follow, with “the Spirit of Elijah” (2 Kings 2:15). May You use the lives all You call to prepare the way of the Lord in the power of Your Spirit, turning the hearts of Your people to You and one another in the right relationship of love before the day of Your coming. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6, NKJV).
Yes, Lord. Let the fire fall. Let my heart and the hearts of all who are willing to be consumed by the fire of Your love for us. Prepare the way for the coming of Your Spirit in our hearts this day and every day, until the day You come as King of kings and Lord of lords in final glory. There is no God but You. You are “the God who answers by fire” (1 Kings 18:24). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, thank you for your prayers for us on our journey through the Holy Land of Israel. I'm thrilled to have a chance to publicly share words and prayers of the love of Christ everywhere our little group goes, as we walk where Jesus walked and experience the historical sites of our faith and encounter the spiritual presence of our God. I pray for your encounters with God as you walk with him in your journey. Thank you for joining with me in mine. God bless you!
Subscribe for 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
Monday, December 28, 2009
Morning by Morning, Tuesday 12-29-09 – Baptized into Life Forevermore
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You are my Lord and my Savior, my Father and Friend. And wherever I am, You are always with me. …
“It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained His blessing, life forevermore” (Psalm 133:3).
Near the foot of Mount Hermon in the northernmost part of Israel, in the cold spring waters near the source of the Jordan River, You ordained Your blessing of life forevermore for Hanna and Kenny yesterday. I was so honored and excited to mark and seal their salvation in Christ, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in these waters of the Jordan River. The water was cold, but our hearts were ablaze as they both exploded from the water in joy. Others joined in the joy to remember their baptism in these waters of Your Holy Land and in the Living Waters of Your Holy Spirit.
When we turn away from our sins and turn to Your forgiveness, away from our pride and self-sufficiency and turn to Your provision and all-sufficiency, we are blessed by God with life forevermore in Christ. And You ordain Your blessing, continually cleansing our hearts in the waters of Your Word, renewed in Your Spirit, “so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Thank You for this gift and blessing of new life, available to all, from the very Source of the One who is the eternal author of all life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, thank you for your prayers for us on our journey through the Holy Land of Israel. I'm thrilled to have a chance to publicly share words and prayers of the love of Christ everywhere our little group goes, as we walk where Jesus walked. I pray for your encounters with Jesus as you walk with Him in newness of life. God bless you!
Subscribe for 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
Sunday, December 27, 2009
“Into a Good Land” 12-27-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of Israel, and Zion is Your holy mountain. Today, as I enter into the land of Your life and ministry, Your death and resurrection, I welcome You to enter into my heart and this journey with my dear friends. …
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground 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, and 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. Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep His commandments, His ordinances, and His statutes, which I am commanding you today” (Deuteronomy 8:7-11).
We enter into this good and ancient land today at Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Truly You have brought us into a good land, a holy land, set apart for the people chosen by God to teach us Your nature and ours by the examples of their journey through this land for generations. In a sense, their journey began two thousand years before the birth of Christ, when You spoke to Abraham in his home far away from here in the city of Ur of the Chaldeans: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Abraham was a seeker of God, one who was willing to seek You and hear You and obey You. When You first called him to this land, he hardly knew You. But You knew him, for You created him with purpose and calling and destiny. And along his journey and the journey of the generations of his seed to follow, they would come to know You—the chosen people of God—chosen for Your purpose of revealing Yourself as the One who desires to bless all the families of the earth, the One who is eternally the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And from the bloodlines of these who journeyed in the land, there would come One to born of a Jewish virgin named Mary, and step-fathered by a Jewish carpenter named Joseph, who would be the fulfillment of this Divine blessing of all the families of the earth to come. “That in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14). Through the blessing of Abraham, fulfilled by faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel, Jew and Gentile become one in the Sprit and one in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:15).
Lord, let it be so for us on our journey through the good land of Your abundant blessings. May Your Holy Spirit come meet each of us wherever we are on our own spiritual journeys. May we come to know You and Your nature, and even our own, at a deeper level than ever before, as we come to understand this blessing of Abraham that rests upon this land and its people, finding its perfect fulfillment in a personal, spiritual relationship with You, Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, please join with me today to praise God and celebrate the fortieth birthday of Tammy Watts, my dear friend and deeply spiritual woman faith and prayer, for whom her awesome husband Mikal has arranged this unbelievably gracious blessing for the love of his life and included each of us. Praise God!
Please keep us in your prayers as I travel in ministry through Israel and then to The Philippines, as a Keynote Speaker at the International Aldersgate Renewal Conference of the Holy Spirit. We will bring in the new year of this new season literally going around the world to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, as I leave to the east and come home from the west. Thank You so much for all your love, encouragement, prayers, and support in so many ways as you've joined me in the journey of prayer and faith with God every day.
If you would like to join our intercessory prayer team that receives frequent updates and joins in interactive intercession with our team and with me, please send Pastor Linda Dulin a note as our Messiah Ministries' Pastor of Prayer Ministries, PrayerLead@aol.com, who coordinates our team with Carol Arban of Kentucky and Heather Butler of Wales.
This winter season is a very lean time for our ministry financially, so
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support: tommyhays@aol.com
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). We joyfully gratefully welcome your gifts of any size for Messiah Ministries on-line or by mail: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Subscribe for 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
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Walking in the Steps of Jesus 12-26-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. It’s been another year since Your birth in the likeness of human flesh and blood, both Son of God and Son of Man. And now it’s another year closer to Your coming again as King of kings and Lord of lords. Like Mary and Joseph yearned in their hearts for Your first coming, so I yearn in my heart for Your second. …
“… you should follow in His steps … now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-25).
Today I’m on my way to the Holy Land of Israel, to walk in the steps of Jesus. You’ve blessed me beyond measure, through my great friends, to join their family and a few friends, to help be a spiritual guide on a spiritual journey to walk where You walked and see where You spoke and be where You healed. May we experience You and encounter Your Spirit all along the way—from where You were conceived and born, taught and loved, live and died and raised to life again. May we be moved with tears and filled with joy, as we remember and encounter You and the Holy Spirit of the Living Christ deeply within our hearts.
May those with us who do not yet know You come to the place of the Roman guard at the foot of Your cross, whose eyes and heart were opened to see You as You truly are, crying out, ‘Truly, this was the Son of God!’ (Matthew 27:54, KJV). May we all be forever changed, never the same, as we follow in Your steps. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Dear friend, please keep us in your prayers as I travel in ministry through Israel and then to The Philippines, as a Keynote Speaker at the International Aldersgate Renewal Conference of the Holy Spirit. We will bring in the new year of this new season literally going around the world to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, as I leave to the east and come home from the west. Thank You so much for all your love, encouragement, prayers, and support in so many ways as you've joined me in the journey of prayer and faith with God every day.
If you would like to join our intercessory prayer team that receives frequent updates and joins in interactive intercession with our team and with me, please send Pastor Linda Dulin a note as our Messiah Ministries' Pastor of Prayer Ministries, PrayerLead@aol.com, who coordinates our team with Carol Arban and Heather Butler.
This winter season is a very lean time for our ministry financially, so
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support: tommyhays@aol.com
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). We joyfully gratefully welcome your gifts of any size for Messiah Ministries on-line or by mail: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Subscribe for 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
Friday, December 25, 2009
Born of a Virgin, Merry Christmas to All ! 12-25-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. “O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.” I adore You this holy day that all the world celebrates the birth of the Christ, the long awaited Messiah, who would be and who is the salvation of our souls and the Lord of our lives. O come let us adore You! …
“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place this way. When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a Son; and he named Him Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25).
Lord, before You called me into full time ministry to prepare the way of the Lord and minister the healing love of God wherever You would send me, You first led me through a season of being a trial lawyer. In those days, I learned to be an advocate for those who chose me to speak for them as their voice in the courts of law. There I learned the significant of evidence to convince the judges and juries of the truth. And when You called me to be one of Your advocates, to be an ambassador of Your voice to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus, I needed to be certain in my heart that this Gospel and Your Word were true. If I were to give my life to You and this calling, I could only live it out if there was integrity in my heart first that You would inspire me impart to others. That’s just how You created me.
I remember studying and praying through this Scripture of the account of the Virgin Birth so many times at much deeper level than ever before. In so many ways, it seemed so incomprehensible from a rational, logical analysis. And in those days, my mind still grappled greatly with the concept of the miraculous and the supernatural, spiritual realm. Now, thinking of the outpouring of your Presence and the flow of healing miracles and salvation I just saw with my own eyes in Pakistan just a week ago, I praise You for how You have set me free to see this awesome reality of Your spiritual realm, so conclusively proving the veracity of Your Word and the power of Your name. But in those days, as I began to take a deeper look at this story I had heard and believed all my life, it was, honestly, a great challenge to me. As You know and I’m sure You remember my days and nights of wrestling with You!
And then one day, Your Holy Spirit opened the eyes of my heart to see with wisdom and revelation that this story of the Virgin Birth is actually one of the most convincing pieces of evidence that the Gospel of Your Word is true! Writers trying to manufacture a religion as an invention of men would never begin their message with such an outrageous, offensive story. They risked exposing their Savior and Hero of thier story to the shame and sin for which His mother could have been stoned to death for defiling her engagement to a righteous man and disgracing her family—unless people actually believed that an angel spoke to them and that God himself impregnated her by His Holy Spirit. Who would believe a story like that, so illogical, so irrational? What judge or jury would not run them out of court?
No one would dare present such a case—unless it were true. And it is. And maybe it first takes an openness to Your Spirit to help us be willing to let the Creator God of this universe open our eyes to this truth and all spiritual truths. “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). But I praise You, Lord, that You used that revelation to convince me of Your truth in a deep way that I needed in my heart and mind to step out in faith for the rest of my life to proclaim this message of hope, love, peace, and joy of this Gospel of the Kingdom of God revealed in Jesus the Christ. And what an amazing journey it has been since taking that step of faith in the calling and destiny You had prepared for me. How You’ve given me such a love and passion to share the truth of Your mercy and love with all who will hear wherever You lead.
So this holy day, I celebrate Your holy birth—conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. As spoken by the Lord through Your prophet almost eight hundred years before the day of the coming of our Messiah: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7, NKJV). And so You have—here on earth at that moment in time of Your Virgin Birth and forever here in my heart. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus the Christ—my Messiah, my Lord, and my Savior! Glory to God in the highest. Peace and goodwill to all! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My dear friends of the journey, Merry Christmas to you and your family this holy day we celebrate our Savior's birth from me and my family and our ministry. God bless you every one! Please keep me in your prayers as I leave for ministry in Israel tomorrow and then to The Philippines to bring in the new year of this new season literally going around the world to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Thank You so much for all your love, encouragement, prayers, and support in so many ways as you've joined me in the journey of prayer with God every day.
This winter season is a very lean time for our ministry financially, so
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support: tommyhays@aol.com
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). We joyfully gratefully welcome your gifts of any size for Messiah Ministries on-line or by mail: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Subscribe for 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
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Season Forever 12-24-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace and goodwill toward all. The glory of Your presence among us and within us by Your Spirit brings us peace. The grace of Your favor and forgiveness brings us goodwill. I welcome Your peace and goodwill into my life today. …
Christmas Eve is the height of anticipation of Your birth as the Child and Son of God on earth, as the coming of our Messiah, of our Christ. And every child of earth is thinking, “One more day! Tomorrow morning will finally be Christmas at last!” Many will find it hard to sleep tonight, tingling with anticipation and expectation. Though they may be thinking of the presents to open and gifts to receive, they will also be remembering deep down in their hearts our words and prayers and stories throughout this season of the reason why we celebrate this special day and give gifts in love to one another.
What a gift You’ve given me with my children home for all of this week before Christmas. And the gift of my mom to come out and join us for a few days. Although I suffered through a hard day of fever and sickness, even that was just an opportunity to be showered in their gift of love to me, with tender care and soft prayers, back rubs and chicken soup, and space for time to rest. And I was so blessed with the gift of love from friends who prayed and who came by with meals and gifts and prayers. One of our friends took a moment to teach my kids a word of wisdom: “You know, Christmas is not just a day. It’s a season. And it’s a season that lasts a long time. And about the time we need to renew our heart for the season, we celebrate Christmas again.”
We all entered into a new season in our lives, the moment we welcomed this Child of Christmas to enter into our hearts. We have received the gift of God’s love in Jesus the Christ. And though we have times when we need to renew our hearts for the season, Your Holy Spirit is always here to remind us of all the gifts of God our Father we have, all the time, not just on Christmas morning. “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).
So I rise this morning refreshed and renewed, feeling again healthy and whole, by all the gifts of prayer and rest I’ve received and the amazing gift of the healing love of God. And I will gather up my children in my arms and look into their faces to see some of the greatest gifts You’ve given me. And we will remember the gift of love we have in our hearts comes from the gift of love we have from You. Lord, as we eagerly wait in expectant anticipation for this special day, remind us of Your truth that this special season in our hearts never has to end. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Merry Christmas my friends! Thank you for your prayers for me and my family. I feel so much better today! Praise God! And thank you for your prayers for our family throughout this hard time of painful transition. But God has been faithful to be with us through it all. He is Immanuel, God with us. And He has surely been, pouring out His blessings and assuring us of His Presence throughout our journey. Thank you for continuing to join in the journey with me. God bless you in your expectant anticipation of this special day to come!
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support.
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). You're welcome to give or sign up: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Subscribe for 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
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas! I'm sorry to be out of touch for so long. First, the AoL server was down. Then, I was suddenly struck with severe fever and violent shaking and body aches one night. I praise God that He has given me breakthough and now I am resting. But please keep me in your prayer for complete victory and healing from this battle. My kids are with me this week before Christmas and I leave on Saturday for Israel, where some great friends have invited me to be a spiritual guide through the Holy Land for a week. Then, I fly from there to the Philippines where I will be a Keynote Speaker for the International Aldersgate Conference on the Holy Spirit, and fly home. So Messiah Ministries will literally be flying around the world to start off this new year of this new season. Thank you for joining me in the journey! And I pray impartation of a double portion and more for you who are joining with us of all the Lord is pouring into me and this ministry, to join with the gifts He has given you for ministry in the name of Jesus (Romans 1:11).
God bless you and Merry Christmas!
In the Love of Jesus!
Your friend, Tommy
www.messiah-ministries.org
"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"
Here's my last devotional I couldn't send the other morning:
Morning by Morning, Monday 12-21-09 – Sharing Hope and Faith Everywhere
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Son of God, Savior of man, King and Lord of all heaven and earth, I entrust my heart and this day to You. …
“But in your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and in reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
The man next to me on the overseas leg of my flight from Abu Dhabi to Chicago was a Canadian science teacher, going home after his first year working abroad. In our casual conversations, Dave asked me what I had been doing in Pakistan. And I told him a little taste of the amazing things I had seen You do among the people there and in my own heart. I was telling him how the Christians there seem to see the miracles of God as almost normal Christian life because that seems to be one of the main ways Muslim people come to know Christ—when they see the love of God in the people and the power of God in the name of Jesus through the healing prayer. He was pleasant, but seemed a little skeptical and watched movies most of our trip. I wasn’t pushy in my faith, but I also couldn’t help but let a little of my joy and excitement bubble up from the past ten, extraordinary days of my life.
At Chicago O’Hare, before catching my train to another terminal, I stepped outside to get a breath of some fresh air. The next door down, Dave had stepped out to smoke a cigarette before catching his train. We waved and I walked over. For some reason, he was suddenly full of questions about my idea of God and mentioned that I seemed to talk about God in a more specific way than he really saw things. He said I seemed to mention Jesus a lot, but he really saw God as more of a general force of energy in the world. I was trying to explain how I believed the energy force of God is the power of His love being constantly expressed in the world by His Holy Spirit, and that He reveals the nature of His love in Jesus. When we started talking about how love requires relationship and how God created us for a personal relationship instead of being distant, he asked me if I wanted to join him in the airport bar for a beer. I walked with him as we continued our incredibly deep discussion of faith.
Pretty soon, he was asking about the miracles again. I showed him one of the testimony pictures on my lap top, and suddenly he was talking about the pain he’s had for ten years from a bulged disc in his lower back. I told him I was really excited to see if God was going to be continuing to heal people back in America like He was in Pakistan, and asked if he’d like to be the first person I prayed with since coming home. He said “sure” and the next thing I know, we’re standing up in the airport bar, with me laying hands on his back and praying for healing in the name of Jesus. His pain went down from a “6” to a “2” and he was really smiling as he bent over and twisted around in ways he couldn’t do before! I said let’s go for “0” and no pain at all. We prayed again—all in the very specific name of Jesus and by the power of His blood, out of God’s personal love for Dave. This time, he was ready for me to lead him a prayer to ask Jesus to completely heal him. And all the pain went completely went away!
He laughed as he mentioned the cigarettes and bear and some other sins that had been in his life. I told him, “That’s the point. It’s not about the rules; it’s about the relationship. Then a changed heart starts to change our desires and habits.” That made it really easy to connect the dots about the very personal nature of this God and His energy and power of love, very specifically revealed and displayed in the name of Jesus!
Thank You, Lord. I can already see You’ve given me a deeper faith and greater boldness to share the hope that is within me in gentleness and love, but with authority in the confidence of Your name, all by Your grace. As I begin to live out the faith and hope and love You’ve been pouring into me in these days, help me share it in ways that bring others to You in gentleness and reverence—whether in airport bars or anywhere else my journey with You will lead. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, thank you for your prayers for me in ministry to the people of Pakistan. It's amazing to see all the Lord is doing! As I've shared with our intercessory prayer team, we are hearing incredible testimonies of healing and deliverance from our healing revival meetings. By the grace of God, the Lord keeps increasing my personal faith and boldness to preach and to pray, as I'm surrounded by people so hungry and thirsty for an encounter with Jesus. Praise God! God is on the move in the earth in these days, and I join with you in crying out to Him to move in the power and glory of His name in our nations and all the nations of the earth.
Come to The Mountain! Tonight, Monday, December 21st at 7PM, to hear special guest speaker Henri Haber, whose father is a well respected leader of our Jewish Community in Lexington, and a Holocaust survivor. Our weekly prayer meeting for Isreal and the peace of Jerusalem are led by Bob and Doris McCray and hosted at New Life Church, 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale) in Lexington. All are welcome! Contact Doris for details at bndmccray@windstream.net
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support.
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
January 27-30, 2010: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry--Level 1 A focused time of teaching, equipping, discipleship and mentoring, personal ministry in a fun and spiritual atmosphere of worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our team at Messiah Ministries. 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 more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry please click on this link: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne
Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com
-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502
Order my Books, Free to Be Like Jesus and Morning by Morning, or our other Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sharing Hope and Faith Everywhere 12-21-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Son of God, Savior of man, King and Lord of all heaven and earth, I entrust my heart and this day to You. …
“But in your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and in reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
The man next to me on the overseas leg of my flight from Abu Dhabi to Chicago was a Canadian science teacher, going home after his first year working abroad. In our casual conversations, Dave asked me what I had been doing in Pakistan. And I told him a little taste of the amazing things I had seen You do among the people there and in my own heart. I was telling him how the Christians there seem to see the miracles of God as almost normal Christian life because that seems to be one of the main ways Muslim people come to know Christ—when they see the love of God in the people and the power of God in the name of Jesus through the healing prayer. He was pleasant, but seemed a little skeptical and watched movies most of our trip. I wasn’t pushy in my faith, but I also couldn’t help but let a little of my joy and excitement bubble up from the past ten, extraordinary days of my life.
At Chicago O’Hare, before catching my train to another terminal, I stepped outside to get a breath of some fresh air. The next door down, Dave had stepped out to smoke a cigarette before catching his train. We waved and I walked over. For some reason, he was suddenly full of questions about my idea of God and mentioned that I seemed to talk about God in a more specific way than he really saw things. He said I seemed to mention Jesus a lot, but he really saw God as more of a general force of energy in the world. I was trying to explain how I believed the energy force of God is the power of His love being constantly expressed in the world by His Holy Spirit, and that He reveals the nature of His love in Jesus. When we started talking about how love requires relationship and how God created us for a personal relationship instead of being distant, he asked me if I wanted to join him in the airport bar for a beer. I walked with him as we continued our incredibly deep discussion of faith.
Pretty soon, he was asking about the miracles again. I showed him one of the testimony pictures on my lap top, and suddenly he was talking about the pain he’s had for ten years from a bulged disc in his lower back. I told him I was really excited to see if God was going to be continuing to heal people back in America like He was in Pakistan, and asked if he’d like to be the first person I prayed with since coming home. He said “sure” and the next thing I know, we’re standing up in the airport bar, with me laying hands on his back and praying for healing in the name of Jesus. His pain went down from a “6” to a “2” and he was really smiling as he bent over and twisted around in ways he couldn’t do before! I said let’s go for “0” and no pain at all. We prayed again—all in the very specific name of Jesus and by the power of His blood, out of God’s personal love for Dave. This time, he was ready for me to lead him a prayer to ask Jesus to completely heal him. And all the pain went completely went away!
He laughed as he mentioned the cigarettes and bear and some other sins that had been in his life. I told him, “That’s the point. It’s not about the rules; it’s about the relationship. Then a changed heart starts to change our desires and habits.” That made it really easy to connect the dots about the very personal nature of this God and His energy and power of love, very specifically revealed and displayed in the name of Jesus!
Thank You, Lord. I can already see You’ve given me a deeper faith and greater boldness to share the hope that is within me in gentleness and love, but with authority in the confidence of Your name, all by Your grace. As I begin to live out the faith and hope and love You’ve been pouring into me in these days, help me share it in ways that bring others to You in gentleness and reverence—whether in airport bars or anywhere else my journey with You will lead. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, thank you for your prayers for me in ministry to the people of Pakistan. It's amazing to see all the Lord is doing! As I've shared with our intercessory prayer team, we are hearing incredible testimonies of healing and deliverance from our healing revival meetings. By the grace of God, the Lord keeps increasing my personal faith and boldness to preach and to pray, as I'm surrounded by people so hungry and thirsty for an encounter with Jesus. Praise God! God is on the move in the earth in these days, and I join with you in crying out to Him to move in the power and glory of His name in our nations and all the nations of the earth.
Come to The Mountain! Tonight, Monday, December 21st at 7PM, to hear special guest speaker Henri Haber, whose father is a well respected leader of our Jewish Community in Lexington, and a Holocaust survivor. Our weekly prayer meeting for Isreal and the peace of Jerusalem are led by Bob and Doris McCray and hosted at New Life Church, 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale) in Lexington. All are welcome! Contact Doris for details at bndmccray@windstream.net
Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support.
Thank You! to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
January 27-30, 2010: The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry--Level 1 A focused time of teaching, equipping, discipleship and mentoring, personal ministry in a fun and spiritual atmosphere of worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our team at Messiah Ministries. 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 more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry please click on this link: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne
Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com
-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502
Order my Books, Free to Be Like Jesus and Morning by Morning, or our other Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org
Friday, December 18, 2009
“Increase Our Faith!” 12-18-09
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my King. You are the Creator and the Center of everything. …
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you’ ” (Luke 17:5-6).
I’m flying home now, after ten days full of nightly healing revival meetings in Pakistan, sharing the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ with the people of this land who were hungry to come and hear. And what amazing sights I’ve seen, as You stretched out Your mighty right hand to save and to heal in ways I’ve only dreamed. These may have been the most exciting ten days of my life. Down inside, I’ve always yearned to be one of Your evangelists who would go to the nations and proclaim the gospel of Your Kingdom, even risking my life, to see souls saved, bodies healed, and demons cast out just in the name of Jesus just like Your first disciples (Luke 9:1-3). And by the grace of God, with the heart of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, I have. Praise Your holy name! I saw a blind man healed to see, a mute man delivered to speak, a crippled woman strengthened in her muscles, a demon-possessed man of another religion delivered from evil and set free of his tormented thoughts, a man begin to praise You in tongues for the first time, a kidney stone dissolved on the spot, many ask Jesus to come as Lord into their hearts, and so much more. And those were just some of the things I saw in front of me with my own eyes. I’ve heard more every day and expect to hear of even so much incredibly more. All by power of the grace of God, I loved to encounter Your Presence and experience Your power in these ways that You displayed Your love for Your people who humbled themselves to call on Your name in faith.
And now as I fly back and transition to another world, I wonder if I will find this kind of faith at home. I wonder if I will still find this kind of faith in me. I’m remembering Your words, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) What comes to mind is and rises in my heart is “Lord, increase our faith!” (v. 17:5) You are the same God in America that You are in Pakistan. We need as much salvation, healing, and deliverance as they do—maybe more. And Lord Jesus, You are the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). You are the God who never changes, no matter our nation, no matter our inclination (James 1:17).
So Lord, all by Your grace, I choose to believe. Keep delivering me from any of my unbelief. Keep increasing my faith. And in the faith that pleases You, let me expect to see more of You and more Your love and more of Your power in every area of my life and every life and every place You send me. I prayed to never be the same after this ministry trip—I’m not; and You are. Hallelujah! Praise You Jesus! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Morning by Morning, Wednesday 12-16-09 – Blessed are the Poor; Mighty is their God
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name—in every land in all the earth and here in my heart. …
“May all kings bow down before Him, all nations give Him service. For He delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has [compassion] on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence, He redeems their life, and precious is their blood in His sight” (Psalm 72:11-14).
A few nights ago was a holy night to me. In the evening we went outside the city of Lahore, Pakistan in the Punjab region to a village far off the main road, down a dark and rutty road. From our vehicle we walked through the winding corridors by flashlight until we came to the big tent in the center of the village. All the electrical power was out. But the night sky was crisp and clear, filled with the sparkling lights of the stars above us, reminding me of the millions of mighty warring and worshipping angels of heaven’s host, ready to join us in the praise and the battle to come. And the closer we came to the tent, the louder we heard the songs of worship and praise to the glorious One before whom all kings must bow and all nations must serve.
After we worshipped in the dark and I shook hands with those who had come to look and see in the back of the tent, the lights came on. Smiling faces of children covered us with rose petals and danced before the Lord. The hands of the people were waving high in hallelujahs of praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords as the name of Jesus was lifted high over this village and proclaimed into the spiritual realm. As I received their welcome and gave my greetings to the Christians and Muslims who had come to experience this healing revival meeting, I noticed so many were wearing no shoes. This was a very poor village, full of very needy and hurting people. Yet here they were, singing praises to God in the dark and the cold, excited to see what God would do in their lives, while praising Your name for all You have already done and all that You are.
You have a heart for the poor. And Your compassion began to swell in my heart with Your Father heart as I looked out with tears at Your sons and daughters, longing for each one there to know Your love and experience Your power. And so they did. By the grace of God You moved by Your Holy Spirit in the power of Your love through the preaching and praying, boldly proclaiming healing and deliverance in the name of Jesus.
So many wanted prayer in such an atmosphere of Your Presence. We all knew that surely the Presence of the Lord was in this place, and Your power was present to heal (Luke 5:17). I could see the joy on their faces after we prayed, and we are hearing so many reports from the pastors of all that You are continuing to do among these hungry hearts of the poor and needy who had come seeking Your face and embracing Your grace: A young girl came up for prayer and to say she received Jesus in her heart; a little boy with a fractured arm was able to move it again; a little boy who could not hear or speak began to talk the next day; many were freed of joint, body pain, and head pain instantly; a tumor on the shoulder of woman shriveled away; a man in his customary Muslim attire who was tormented by demonic spirits in his mind was set free and restored to his right mind; and so much more! Some things happened instantly and others over the next day or so, but we were all touched and moved by the Presence of God and outpouring of Your Spirit as we proclaimed the name of Jesus. Many joined in prayers asking Jesus into their hearts. And all our lives will never be the same!
I don’t always understand Your ways and why it seems You move so mightily in the lives of so many in some cultures and places for Your purposes. But I do know You have a great heart for the poor who have no help but You. And I do know that there is some kind of spiritual dynamic that is released when hungry desperation and undoubting faith collide in an atmosphere of Your Presence. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). So I desperately, faithfully pray that by the grace of God what I’ve seen You do in Pakistan, You will continue to do in the cultures and nations, the cities and villages, the hearts and minds of all people of all nations of the earth in our generation and those to come. But for this day, I praise the name of Jesus for what I’ve seen You do in my heart and in the hearts of so many who are so hungry for so much more of You. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, thank you for your prayers for me in ministry to the people of Pakistan. It's amazing to see all the Lord is doing! As I've shared with our intercessory prayer team, we are hearing incredible testimonies of healing and deliverance from our healing revival meetings. By the grace of God, the Lord keeps increasing my personal faith and boldness to preach and to pray, as I'm surrounded by people so hungry and thirsty for an encounter with Jesus. Praise God! God is on the move in the earth in these days, and I join with you in crying out to Him to move in the power and glory of His name in our nations and all the nations of the earth.
Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night December 18th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Pastor Linda Dulin will be leading in Prayer and Kerry Dorrell will be leading in Worship. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-422-1794
Many thanks to our Isaiah 35 Covenant Partners and other supporters in prayer and finances who make this ministry possible at home and abroad to the nations. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Please prayerfully keep Messiah Ministries in mind for your Year-end and Christmas giving to the ministries of the Kingdom of God. I hope you find our ministry to be good soil to sow your seeds for the growing maturity of the God's Kingdom on earth. I'll be glad to speak with you personally about our vision and calling in ministry if you'd like to join with us in your prayer and financial support.
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-- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502
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