“Lacking in Nothing” 2-19-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You. Teach me Your ways, conform me to Your nature. Help me grow up in spiritual maturity. … “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Last night in worship at our healing prayer conference, Your Holy Spirit gave us an image of a man with his pockets pulled out and his hands opened up, as if to say, “I have nothing but You.” We must be emptied of everything in us that is not yet like You, so that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). We have to let go everything we depend up that would keep us from completely depending upon You. We need to release the things that want to have a grip on us and entrust them all to Your care. “Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). As we worship, I began to wonder what was in my pockets—both physically and spiritually. In my left pocket, I felt my iPhone. I seemed to hear You say to my heart, “Release to Me every distraction. Tonight I want You to hear My voice. Let My Text be the text you read.” In my right pocket, I felt my driver’s license, my credit card, and a little cash, and a couple of breath mints. It seemed You were saying, “Find your identity in Me; I am Your authority and power; I provide all you need according to My riches in glory; let Me be your breath of life and release through you the sweet fragrance of Christ.” Blessed are we when we humble ourselves to admit our need. Blessed are we when we come hungering and thirsting for more of You. For then ours is the kingdom of heaven. For then the King of the kingdom of heaven comes to fill our emptiness with Your Presence and exchange all our nothingness with all Your fullness of everything that really matters. Then by the power of Your grace, we will become “mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night February 19th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide 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. Linda Dulin will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Centers will be leading in Worship this month. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Feb 18-20, in Austin, Texas This Weekend, Join Tommy Hays and Dan Van Nice for a Healing Prayer Conference at Bethany United Methodist Church (www.bethany-umc.org) Thurs and Friday Night 6-9PM; Saturday 9AM-4PM. No Cost; Offering for the ministries will be received. All are welcome to join us.Call Jill: (512) 656-7789 For more information click here 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 and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, Thursday 2-18-10 – Always Ready to Rescue Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are faithful and true, mighty in power, and steadfast in love. … “Some wandered in desert waste places … hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them…. Some sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners in misery and irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High…. Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death…. Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters…. They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity; they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress” (Psalm 107:3-28). No matter where we are, no matter how we got there, You are always listening for our call for help, You are always ready to rescue, to come to our aid and bring us out of our distress. You are the God who satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with every good thing (v. 107:9). You lift us out of all darkness and gloom, shattering the doors of our prisons and cutting in two our bars of iron (v. 107:16). You send forth Your word to heal our hurts and deliver us from destruction (v. 107:20). You still the storms and steady the seas that would overwhelm us and overtake us if we were left to drift alone (v. 107:29). This is “the steadfast love of the Lord” for all who humble themselves to call on Your name in our desperate times of need (v. 107:33). “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those He redeemed from trouble” (v. 107:1-2). You redeem all the circumstances and troubles of our lives we will entrust into Your care, causing good to come out of them all in Your timing, in Your ways, in response to our prayers. So give us a heart to thank You for Your Presence and Your love even as we endure our struggles and give us a heart of praise when we look and see the mighty deliverance of Your great salvation (v. 107:8, 15, 21, 31, 42). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Feb 18-20, in Austin, Texas This Weekend, Join Tommy Hays and Dan Van Nice for a Healing Prayer Conference at Bethany United Methodist Church (www.bethany-umc.org) Thurs and Friday Night 6-9PM; Saturday 9AM-4PM. No Cost; Offering for the ministries will be received. RSVP here or call Jill: (512) 656-7789 For more information click here Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night February 19th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide 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. Linda Dulin will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Centers will be leading in Worship this month. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Upcoming Events w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Come Join Us for these Upcoming Messiah Ministries Events and Please Spread the Word! March 19 Celebrate… Passion, Power & Purpose (Messiah Ministries Annual Celebration Event) Come & See! Come & Celebrate! Come & Be a Part of what God is Doing! Stories and Testimonies from Tommy’s recent overseas ministry trips to Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines &Estonia and the exciting moves of God at home and abroad Please RSVP For more information & to RSVP please click on the link below… Information/RSVPCelebrationDessert March 26-28 Healing Prayer Retreat at Asbury Inn on Campus of Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky A worshipful setting in a safe atmosphere of God's healing Presence and Power, with times of personal prayer ministry and Biblical teaching: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore and Encounter God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. for more information and to register click on the link below… Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Apri 28 – May 1 The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry--Level II A focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and his teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to 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. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing ministry. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry… Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevel2 Intercessory Prayer Team The Lord is gathering His army for such a time as this. If you'd like to be part of our intercessory prayer team with interaction and updates, please send a note to our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Linda Dulin at PrayerLead@aol.com We are trying to establish Linda in a full time position with Messiah Ministries, as we advance in this season, so I've you would like to assist with this, please contact me at MessiahMin@aol.com right away. Feb 18-20, in Austin, Texas This Weekend, Join Tommy Hays and Dan Van Nice for a Healing Prayer Conference at Bethany United Methodist Church (www.bethany-umc.org) Thurs and Friday Night 6-9PM; Saturday 9AM-4PM. No Cost; Offering for the ministries will be received. RSVP here or call Jill: (512) 656-7789 For more information click here God bless you! --Tommy Hays Spiritual Director & Founder, Messiah Ministries "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 and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Dust and Ashes 2-17-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come live in me, come live through me today. … “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him. For He knows how we were made; He remembers that we are dust. As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember to do His commandments” (Psalm 103:13-18). Many streams and traditions of the Church will mark today as Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the beginning of a season of preparation for the days that mark the death, burial, and resurrection in glory of Christ. In prayers throughout the world today, people will kneel at altars in humility before God and be marked with ashes to remind them of their mortality and need of a Savior—“Dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). But though we are but dust, created by God from the very soil of this earth, we are also filled with the very breath of God—living souls with purpose and calling and destiny to fulfill in this short span of years we’ve received as the gift of life (Genesis 2:7). That’s a gift of our resurrection life we have only because of the gift of Your sacrificial death for us. So this day marks both humility and hope, repentance from sin but also repentance toward God, death to ourselves and resurrection in Christ. And if we are to have “the same mind in (us) that was in Christ Jesus,” we must first humble ourselves in complete dependence upon God so that He may lift us from our humility, fill us with His Spirit, and position us for His purposes in the days of life He has entrusted to us, “to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11). Prepare my heart today and throughout this season, O Lord, my God. Remind me of my humanity in humility. But also remind me of Your Deity in hope. There is no transformation of the caterpillar to a butterfly without the season of chrysalis. There is no transformation of the human soul from dust to our destiny without the season of humility. And the heart of humility is taking my eyes off of myself and lifting them to You, willingly submitting my will to Your will in the trusting surrender of faith in You and Your heart for me. But You are a good God, a compassionate Father, and a faithful Friend; Your steadfast love endures forever. And as I entrust myself to You in this season of humility and hope, looking to You, beholding Your glory, embracing the breath of Your Spirit, You will be changing me—transforming me “from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV). Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night February 19th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide 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. Linda Dulin will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Centers will be leading in Worship this month. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Feb 18-20, in Austin, Texas This Weekend, Join Tommy Hays and Dan Van Nice for a Healing Prayer Conference at Bethany United Methodist Church (www.bethany-umc.org) Thurs and Friday Night 6-9PM; Saturday 9AM-4PM. No Cost; Offering for the ministries will be received. RSVP here or call Jill: (512) 656-7789 For more information click here Come Join Us for these Upcoming Messiah Ministries Events and Please Spread the Word! March 19 Celebrate… Passion, Power & Purpose (Messiah Ministries Annual Celebration Event) Come & See! Come & Celebrate! Come & Be a Part of what God is Doing! Stories and Testimonies from Tommy’s recent overseas ministry trips to Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines &Estonia and the exciting moves of God at home and abroad Please RSVP For more information & to RSVP please click on the link below… Information/RSVPCelebrationDessert March 26-28 Healing Prayer Retreat at Asbury Inn on Campus of Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky A worshipful setting in a safe atmosphere of God's healing Presence and Power, with times of personal prayer ministry and Biblical teaching: Spiritual Principles of Deep Healing— Explore and Encounter God’s order in every dimension—spirit, soul, and body. Past hurts require healing to realize true freedom. It’s only God’s redemptive power that can bring us back to God’s created plan. Hindrances To Healing— Scripture provides principles that reveal possible barriers that hinder healing, freedom and wholeness. These given over to God, prepare the way for God’s powerful healing love. for more information and to register click on the link below… Information/RegisterHealingRetreat Apri 28 – May 1 The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry--Level II A focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worshipping and prayer led by Tommy Hays and his teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will continue to 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. Level II gives deeper experience, opportunity, and practice in healing ministry. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry… Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevel2 Thank you for joining in prayer. The Lord is gathering His army for such a time as this. If you'd like to be part of our intercessory prayer team with interaction and updates, please send a note to our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Linda Dulin at PrayerLead@aol.com We are trying to establish Linda in a full time position with Messiah Ministries, as we advance in this season, so I've you would like to assist with this, please contact me at MessiahMin@aol.com right away. 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 and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

I Dare to Dream 2-15-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Great and mighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I honor You, worship You, and entrust myself to You. May Your will and Your purpose for my life be made fully manifest by the end of my days on this earth. … “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not your harm, to give you a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). I do not yet fully know what is the fullness of my purpose and the fulfillment of Your plans for my life. Yet I do pray that You will yet have Your way. And I do seek that You will grant me the courage and faithfulness to trust and obey the leading of Your Spirit, no matter the cost, and grant me the patience to tenaciously endure every moment of delay, no matter the time it takes. Let me not ever think more highly of myself than You have created me to be. But let me also never think more lowly of myself than the son of God that I am, by the mercy and power of Your grace (Hebrews 2:10). “For it was You who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, that I know very well…. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed” (Psalm 139:13-16). This is true for each of Your children. And this is true even for one such as me. I Dare to Dream… O how can I doubt Yet how can I believe How can I dare to dream Yet it was You who conceived Am I created for significance For greatness of life Or destined for disappointment Mere misery and strife Do I dare think of myself With destiny and calling Or settle for less Accepting my failures and fallings But what if it’s true We’re each created to be Someone magnificent And each one unique What if the world Would not be the same Without the full measure of my life And every moment of my days What if history itself Could not speak its heart If it failed to record Every act of my part Is it too vain Full of arrogance and pride To think I’ve a part to play That none can play but I I leave it to my God My Creator and King To determine if it’s so Or just a foolish dream Lord, give me the humility to know that I can do nothing apart from You (John 15:50). And at the same time, give me the faith to know that I am never apart from You and that through Christ, I can do all things for Your glory and Your name (Philippians 4:13). Lord, let me do my part in my generation to fulfill my destiny for Your glory, in both humble faith and courageous boldness in a way that honors You with all You have entrusted to me. Let me dare to dream. And if it is true, let me believe in faith that it’s You who gave me these dreams. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night February 19th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide 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. Linda Dulin will be leading in Prayer and Jeff Settles will be leading in Worship this month. All are welcome and spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Thank you for joining in prayer. The Lord is gathering His army for such a time as this. If you'd like to be part of our intercessory prayer team with interaction and updates, please send a note to our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Linda Dulin at PrayerLead@aol.com We are trying to establish Linda in a full time position with Messiah Ministries, as we advance in this season, so I've you would like to assist with this, please contact me at MessiahMin@aol.com right away. 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 and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Lionheart! 2-13-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as well as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. You are the Commander of the Army of the Lord as well as the Lamb who was led to slaughter and opened not Your mouth. Lord, let me know You as You are in every dimension of Your Being, so that I can learn to know myself in every dimension of my being. … “Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a Man standing before him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You one of us or one of our adversaries?’ He replied, ‘Neither; but as Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to Him, ‘What do You command Your servant, Lord?’ The Commander of the Army of the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13-15). Lord, You woke me up this morning with my right arm stretched out, violently shaking. In my spirit, I saw a sword in my hand. I knew You were calling me to get up and pray. You’ve been speaking to my heart for several days about calling together the men of our city to prepare for war in the days to come. Men of faith must arise! We must know how to love and to lead, how to stand firm before men and how to bow low before our King. We must know how to walk in honor and authority, how to speak with dignity and power, how to listen with compassion and wisdom, how to act with decisiveness and confidence. We are the Army of the Lord and You are our Commander in Chief. We are to be lionhearted leaders of our families and of our city because we have the heart of the Lion who is our King. “See, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered…” (Revelation 5:5). It seems I hear You say: “Gather My men, my mighty men, whom I will train for war. I will teach them My ways and give them My heart, My Lionheart. I am He who sits in the heavens and I have uttered My voice in the earth. I am assembling My men to prepare their fingers for battle and their hands for war. This is a spiritual war, which must be fought with the heart, with My heart. And so I will give them My Lionheart.” Yes, Lord. Let it be so, according to Your word, in Your timing and in Your way. You bring to mind the fulfillment of Psalm 18, David’s song of great victory and praise for Your mighty deliverance: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies…. The Lord also uttered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice…. For You deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down. It is You who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. By You I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall…. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of salvation, and Your right hand has supported me; Your help has made me great…. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle; You made my assailants sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed… I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like mire in the streets…. Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds. The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted by the God of my salvation…. For this I will extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name. Great triumphs He gives to His king, and shows steadfast love to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever” (Psalm 18:1-50). This is a spiritual war against spiritual enemies to be fought with the spiritual “weapons of our warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This battle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). So we must know our victory because we know the Victorious One. We must know the weapons of our warfare and the nature of our battle and our enemy, as You enforce the victory of Your Cross through Your crucified ones (Galatians 2:20). We must hear the call to our battle and the cry of Your command uttered from the heart of the Lion King stirring the spirits of those You have given Your Lionheart. “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle!” (Psalm 144:1) Let the men of faith arise! Impart to us Your Lionheart! “Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke…. Stretch out Your hand from on high; set me free! … May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, out daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of the palace…. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets. Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are all the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:1-15). Lord, let it be so in my heart and in my city, for the glory of Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if this word this morning rings true in your spirit, please pray and pass word on to every man the Lord puts on your heart. Pass this on to every woman of prayer to rise up and pray for the men of faith to rise up and be prepared for the battles in the days to come. Men and women alike have a significant role in the battle plans of God as He enforces the victory of His Cross through His people. Our ministry has been planning a conference to affirm the essential role of women in spiritual leadership we're calling "Breaking the Silence" and this morning, I believe the Lord is also calling us to affirm the essential role of men as well, maybe in a conference or weekly gathering called "Lionheart." Please join me in prayer and I discern this with our leadership team in the days ahead. I also feel led to make our resource cd series available free of charge, as we're able, on Spiritual Warfare -- Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith -- available to any man free of charge or for any contribution to the cost who would commit to listen. This is my teaching on this topic, taped live at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas. Send me a note for this or order it from our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Thank you for joining in prayer. The Lord is gathering His army for such a time as this. If you'd like to be part of our intercessory prayer team with interaction and updates, please send a note to our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Linda Dulin at PrayerLead@aol.com 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, Saturday 2-13-10 – Lionheart! Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as well as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. You are the Commander of the Army of the Lord as well as the Lamb who was led to slaughter and opened not Your mouth. Lord, let me know You as You are in every dimension of Your Being, so that I can learn to know myself in every dimension of my being. … “Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a Man standing before him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You one of us or one of our adversaries?’ He replied, ‘Neither; but as Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to Him, ‘What do You command Your servant, Lord?’ The Commander of the Army of the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13-15). Lord, You woke me up this morning with my right arm stretched out, violently shaking. In my spirit, I saw a sword in my hand. I knew You were calling me to get up and pray. You’ve been speaking to my heart for several days about calling together the men of our city to prepare for war in the days to come. Men of faith must arise! We must know how to love and to lead, how to stand firm before men and how to bow low before our King. We must know how to walk in honor and authority, how to speak with dignity and power, how to listen with compassion and wisdom, how to act with decisiveness and confidence. We are the Army of the Lord and You are our Commander in Chief. We are to be lionhearted leaders of our families and of our city because we have the heart of the Lion who is our King. “See, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered…” (Revelation 5:5). It seems I hear You say: “Gather My men, my mighty men, whom I will train for war. I will teach them My ways and give them My heart, My Lionheart. I am He who sits in the heavens and I have uttered My voice in the earth. I am assembling My men to prepare their fingers for battle and their hands for war. This is a spiritual war, which must be fought with the heart, with My heart. And so I will give them My Lionheart.” Yes, Lord. Let it be so, according to Your word, in Your timing and in Your way. You bring to mind the fulfillment of Psalm 18, David’s song of great victory and praise for Your mighty deliverance: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies…. The Lord also uttered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice…. For You deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down. It is You who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. By You I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall…. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of salvation, and Your right hand has supported me; Your help has made me great…. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back until they were consumed. I struck them down so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You girded me with strength for the battle; You made my assailants sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed… I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like mire in the streets…. Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds. The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted by the God of my salvation…. For this I will extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name. Great triumphs He gives to His king, and shows steadfast love to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever” (Psalm 18:1-50). This is a spiritual war against spiritual enemies to be fought with the spiritual “weapons of our warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This battle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). So we must know our victory because we know the Victorious One. We must know the weapons of our warfare and the nature of our battle and our enemy, as You enforce the victory of Your Cross through Your crucified ones (Galatians 2:20). We must hear the call to our battle and the cry of Your command uttered from the heart of the Lion King stirring the spirits of those You have given Your Lionheart. “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle!” (Psalm 144:1) Let the men of faith arise! Impart to us Your Lionheart! “Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke…. Stretch out Your hand from on high; set me free! … May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, out daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of the palace…. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets. Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are all the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:1-15). Lord, let it be so in my heart and in my city, for the glory of Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if this word this morning rings true in your spirit, please pray and pass word on to every man the Lord puts on your heart. Pass this on to every woman of prayer to rise up and pray for the men of faith to rise up and be prepared for the battles in the days to come. Men and women alike have a significant role in the battle plans of God as He enforces the victory of His Cross through His people. Our ministry has been planning a conference to affirm the essential role of women in spiritual leadership we're calling "Breaking the Silence" and this morning, I believe the Lord is also calling us to affirm the essential role of men as well, maybe in a conference or weekly gathering called "Lionheart." Please join me in prayer and I discern this with our leadership team in the days ahead. I also feel led to make our resource cd series available free of charge, as we're able, on Spiritual Warfare -- Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith -- available to any man free of charge or for any contribution to the cost who would commit to listen. This is my teaching on this topic, taped live at Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas. Send me a note for this or order it from our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Thank you for joining in prayer. The Lord is gathering His army for such a time as this. If you'd like to be part of our intercessory prayer team with interaction and updates, please send a note to our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Linda Dulin at PrayerLead@aol.com 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

An Unfinished Life 2-11-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and welcome in Your Spirit. … “(The Lord) heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds…. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden…” (Psalm 147:4-6). Julie was a young woman with her life half finished. This morning, I’ll join with her family and friends, as together in prayer we commit and commend her spirit to You. You give us grace to mourn and weep, to grieve the loss of life, even as we celebrate the memories of the life of one we love. And how we need the comfort of Your Presence and the assurance of Your awareness of our sufferings in moments like these. But You are near and Your grace is sufficient. There is no death that Your life cannot overcome. There is no wound that Your love cannot heal, as we cast our heavy burdens upon You and entrust our heavy hearts to You. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). It could be said that You too lived a life that was half finished. At only thirty-three years old, Your days on this earth as Son of Man came to an end. Yet at the same time, as You bowed Your head and committed Your spirit into the eternal arms of our Father, You declared forever, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Even now, we truly have no idea of all You accomplished for each of us in those short years of what seemed to be such an unfinished life. But we know our lives have been forever changed by Your life and death. And the same is true of every life that will gather today to say goodbye to this one whose life is also now finished on earth. It is the nature of life and love in this world You created that our lives can’t help but be changed by the lives of those we love. So it is into the hands and heart of the One who is Love that we commit her spirit and ours today. This is the way our unfinished lives are finished in Yours. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep the family of Julie Lansill Cameron in your prayers as they grieve her loss and untimely death. I'll be leading her memorial service this morning in Lexington. And I pray the comfort of our Savior and Father with you in the losses you grieve in our journey together in the love of 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Green Pastures and Still Waters 2-9-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes to Your hills and wait in the silence of surrender to Your will and listen for the voifce of Your Spirit. … “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepares a table for me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23, KJV). I guess these were the first words of “the Old Testament” I ever learned and memorized. Nanny’s Bible and Nanny’s prayers were in the King James. But I remember my grandmother Hays teaching me these ancient words while she worked out in the chicken house on the edge of our west Texas cotton farm. They were hard workers, and they instilled in us a strong work ethic. But they also knew when it was time to take their Sabbath rest—when it was time to let the Lord make them to lie down in the green pastures and settle down for awhile beside the still waters, while You restored their souls. I remember seeing PaPa, my Grandfather Hays, stretch out on the couch every day after lunch before he went back to the field. There was time for work, but there was also time for rest. When I get a little too extended from being a little too busy and start to feel a little too overwhelmed by the work of my day, even what I believe is the work of the Lord, I still hear these ancient words begin to rise up in my heart and try to settle down in my soul. I know it’s time to find some time for some Sabbath rest. As a friend of mine gently said, “Even you have to get tired sometime.” And I knew that her words were Your words, calling me to come lie down for awhile in Your green pastures and settle down for awhile beside your still waters. There, You’ll restore my soul, renew my spirit, and revive my passion. There will still be plenty of hard work to do, but I’ll be able to get it done with more joy in the power of the strength that only comes from a sincere Sabbath rest. Instead of worrying about what won’t get done if I do, help me realize what can’t get done if I don’t. “So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter into God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from His. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest …” (Hebrews 4:9-11). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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 and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Austin, TX Healing Conf. w/Tommy Hays & Dan Van Nice Feb 18-20

Please come join us in Austin, Texas for this Healing Conference with Dan Van Nice and Tommy Hays February 18-20, 2010! Please join us for this three day event as Rev. Tommy Hays teaches on inner healing and Dan Van Nice teaches on physical healing. There will be a limited number of private sessions available with both Tommy and Dan. There is no charge for this event, however an offering will be taken to cover costs and support both of these ministries. Come with an open heart and expect to receive from God the promises that He has for His children! When: February 18th and 19th, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and February 20th,9:00 am to 4:00 pm Where: Bethany UMC (map) Cost: $0.00 a love offering will be taken RSVP here or call Jill: (512) 656-7789 For more information click here You may bring your own lunch on Saturday or there will be an opportunity to order lunch. Details including cost will be announced at the conference. We look forward to seeing you there! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friends, Van Nice Ministries has an exciting year ahead and we are thankful that you are a part of it. God's Holy Spirit continues to work signs and wonders in the earth, Van Nice Ministries continues to proclaim the glory and grace of our Lord in all we do! We have several events already planned in the upcoming months, so if you would like to schedule a conference or speaking event this year, please contact us asap. You may also contact us regarding bringing Tommy Hays to your church. God Bless- Dan & Giana Van Nice Servants of the Most High God

Next Steps 2-8-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I praise You as You are that You love me as I am. … “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a level path” (Psalm 143:10). Thank You for Your mercy to meet me where I am. Thank You for Your insistence to never leave me here and Your determination to always lead me on to more. Give me a teachable spirit that knows I’ll always have more to learn and more to un-learn. You are my Creator, and I am Your created. You see all things—the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. You know all things—every challenge I’ll ever face, every obstacle I’ll ever overcome. So I would be foolish to insist on my own way, my own wisdom, my own will. I would be wise to remember You are God and I am not. So come, Holy Spirit. Lead me on a level path, lead me in Your paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. You know the right path for my next steps. And my next steps always need to begin with looking for the path where Your good Spirit leads. In these days, those steps will rarely be popular and rarely be easy, but they will always be right. But as I remember to humble myself in trusting faith to seek and obey Your leading as best as I can and all by Your grace, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please mark your calendars for the evening of March 19th to come join our yearly Celebration of all the Lord has done and is doing through Messiah Ministries. I'm especially excited to share stories of my adventures in Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines, and Estonia as well as the exciting things the Lord is doing in our midst at home in Kentucky and America. Please let us know if you'd like to help. Please make plans to come and bring a friend to explore our ministry and celebrate God's glory. How great is our God! We want you to be a part of all He is doing through Messiah Ministries! Our team is gathering prizes for a Silent Auction at our Celebration to raise funds for our ministry. If you'd like to contribute something, please let us know: MessiahMin@aol.com Friends, please prayerfully consider joining our ministry this year as an Isaiah 35 "Streams in the Desert" Covenant Partner, as we proclaim the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the nations, preparing the way of the Lord, and ministering the healing love of God. I would be glad to speak with you or your group personally about the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries (www.messiah-ministries.org). 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

“Surely I Am Coming Soon” 2-5-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Bright Morning Star, Son of David, Son of God, Savior of All, I worship You and welcome You as Lord of my life and Lord of my day (Revelation 22:16). … “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift…. The One who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I Am coming soon’ ” (Revelation 22:17-20). Over two thousand years ago, You stood before John in a revelation of Your glory to encourage Your people and prepare Your bride in that day and for the days to come. He fell to his face in the fear of the Lord, trembling at the Presence of the Living Word of God (Revelation 1:17). But You comforted him with Your touch and encouraged him with Your words as You commanded him to write of “what is, and what is to take place” (v. 1:19). And all that You spoke to his spirit and revealed to his eyes began to take place and has been taking place and will have taken place in the fulfillment of all things. Soon, You will come again to stand in the glory of Your Presence upon this earth, and like John, all people of all nations will fall to their faces and tremble in the fear of the Lord. First, You will descend from the heavens “with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Then, You will set Your feet upon the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, as the very mountain itself is split in two and all the earth You created trembles at Your coming in glory (Zechariah 14:4). And all rebellion against Your Word and Your will shall be destroyed and consumed in the glory of “the manifestation of (Your) coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 16:16). But all who turn to You, Jew and Gentile alike, even at that last moment of this age, will shout out these long awaited words, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39). And all who do “will be saved” (Romans 11:26; Zechariah 12:10). For though we are impatient for that day of Your coming, You use every moment of our waiting and longing to draw as many souls to You as will come, “not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16). One day You will come again in the clouds and to the earth. But every day between now and then, You want to come into our hearts. One day when we die—if we are not part of that last generation of this age who will never die—we will go to heaven. But every day between now and then, You want heaven to come into us. For You said, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21, KJV). It’s not only living in a place with You when we die, it’s giving You a place to live within us now. This is the place You have gone to prepare for us and this is the place You long to come and fill within us now (John 14:3). “For the Kingdom of God is … righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). So we who are hungry to hear Your Word and thirsty to encounter Your Presence, we who long for the day our Redemption draws near and we can look up and shout out “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!”, we who yearn to drink deeply of the free gift of Your living waters say “Come!” Those who have prepared the way of the Lord in their hearts and on this earth say “Come!” May it be so in that day that Your “bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:17). The Spirit and the bride say “Come!” And we hear by Your Spirit in our hearts say, “Surly I Am coming soon!” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please mark your calendars for the evening of March 19th to come join our yearly Celebration of all the Lord has done and is doing through Messiah Ministries. I'm especially excited to share stories of my adventures in Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines, and Estonia as well as the exciting things the Lord is doing in our midst at home in Kentucky and America. Please let us know if you'd like to help. Please make plans to come and bring a friend to explore our ministry and celebrate God's glory. How great is our God! We want you to be a part of all He is doing through Messiah Ministries! Our team is gathering prizes for a Silent Auction at our Celebration to raise funds for our ministry. If you'd like to contribute something, please let us know: MessiahMin@aol.com Friends, please prayerfully consider joining our ministry this year as an Isaiah 35 "Streams in the Desert" Covenant Partner, as we proclaim the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the nations, preparing the way of the Lord, and ministering the healing love of God. I would be glad to speak with you or your group personally about the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries (www.messiah-ministries.org). 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 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Strategically Positioned for God's Greatness 2-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and my Savior, I give You my all. … “Now Esther was admired by all who saw her … the king loved Esther more than all the other women; of all the virgins she won his favor and devotion …” (Esther 2:15-17). Sometimes we can tend to think of Esther’s story as a love story—a night with the king. We can forget that she was a young girl, forcefully taken away from her family and friends to satisfy the pleasures and the vengeance of a pagan king (v. 2:1-4). She was chosen not by the love in his heart, but by the beauty of her skin, to be among the harem of virgins in the parade of nights in the bedchambers of the Persian king (v. 2:12). She had to hide her true identity as a Jew, one of the chosen people of God, as she entered into a new identity as one of the chosen concubines of the king (v. 2:10). Your Word does not reveal what emotions she had to hide or what thoughts she had to bury, to endure and survive in the adjustments of her new life that were suddenly thrust upon her. But we know she prospered and that she was highly favored even in the darkness and tragedy of her new circumstances forced upon her by the will of others (v. 2:8-9). And we know You gathered those around her, who were watching out of her, with love and counsel, through her experiences and encounters of this new season of her life (v. 2:11). But though Esther found herself in a situation she never chose, out of the choices of others for their own purposes and plans to satisfy their own desires, You didn’t waste a moment of her suffering. You didn’t waste an opportunity to turn the choices of men into the purposes of God. In those very circumstances that began with the sinful choices of man’s desires, she found herself strategically positioned to be used for Your desires—“for such a time as this” (v. 4:14). Because of Esther’s courage and faithfulness in the face of choices and circumstances beyond her control and desires, the lives of many were spared and the destiny of a people was preserved (v. 8:1-17). By her obedience to Your leading and trust in Your faithfulness to cause all things to work together for good, the day of appointed destruction of her people became a day of great “gladness and joy” (v. 8:17). Esther’s story is not a story of love; it’s a story of redemption. It’s a story of how You took the abuse and shame of a tragic story of broken dreams for “a normal life” and positioned Your child for greatness in the redemption of her pain for Your purposes. The plans and purposes of the Persian king were transformed and redeemed into the plans and purposes of the King of kings. “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps” (Proverbs 16:9). “The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established” (Proverbs 19:21). Thank You, Lord, for taking all our plans and the plans of those around us to redeem all the circumstances of human choices into Your holy purposes for our good and Your glory. Thank You for surrounding us with those who encourage us and guide us to keep looking to You, keep trusting You, no matter what. As we entrust ourselves and our circumstances to You, You are the God who always redeems our pain in your plans (Romans 8:28). Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts, but they are good toward us, just as and You are faithful for us (Isaiah 55:9). After all, You chose to create us and strategically position us in this earth in this generation, knowing ahead of time all that we would encounter and endure for such a time as this. And one day—a day of great gladness and joy—we will be glad You did. “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please mark your calendars for the evening of March 19th to come join our yearly Celebration of all the Lord has done and is doing through Messiah Ministries. I'm especially excited to share stories of my adventures in Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines, and Estonia as well as the exciting things the Lord is doing in our midst at home in Kentucky and America. Please let us know if you'd like to help. Please make plans to come and bring a friend to explore our ministry and celebrate God's glory. How great is our God! We want you to be a part of all He is doing through Messiah Ministries! Please prayerfully consider joining our ministry this year as an Isaiah 35 "Streams in the Desert" Covenant Partner, as we proclaim the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the nations, preparing the way of the Lord, and ministering the healing love of God. I would be glad to speak with you or your group personally about the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries (www.messiah-ministries.org). 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

“Gird Up Your Loins” and Speak the Word 2-2-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up in my heart and throughout my day. … “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations…. You shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you…. Now I have put My words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant…. I am watching over My word to perform it…. But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them…. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I Am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you’ ” (Jeremiah 1:4-19). Yes, Lord. Give us courage in this hour to see what You see, to hear what You hear, to say what You say. Give us humility to first seek Your face and listen for Your voice. Give us faith to always trust You, no matter what we endure in our journey through a broken, fallen world, surrounded by broken, fallen people, including ourselves. Give us a spirit of repentance to first turn to You with all our own hearts, minds, souls, and strength, away from our own thoughts and desires apart from Yours. And give us boldness to obey, no matter the opposition and no matter the cost. Let there be a remnant of a generation “found faithful” to trust You and obey You (1 Corinthians 4:2, KJV). And let me be part of that remnant, one of “those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” all by the power of Your grace and fulfillment of Your will (Luke 21:10-19; Matthew 24:9-14; Revelation 14:12). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please prayerfully consider joining our ministry this year as an Isaiah 35 "Streams in the Desert" Covenant Partner, as we proclaim the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the nations, preparing the way of the Lord, and ministering the healing love of God. I would be glad to speak with you or your group personally about the vision and calling of Messiah Ministries (www.messiah-ministries.org). 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

Like Christ in This World 2-1-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With an unveiled face, I look up and behold Your glory, asking You to change me by Your Spirit into Your image by Your grace—from glory to glory, morning by morning, moment by moment, every day (from 2 Corinthians 3:18). “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). I have far to go and it’s a daily journey, but this is my quest, this is my desire—to be more like You each day. This is the desire You have put in my heart because this is the desire in Your heart for each of us. This is the purpose for all the challenges and changes, all the experiences and encounters of our lives. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, and who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30). This is Your heart, Your holy desire for each of us. You’ve created and called every one of us to this relationship of love with You through trust in You (John 3:16). You’re “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” to live in this trusting relationship of love with You (2 Peter 3:9). And as we give ourselves to that relationship, as we willing entrust ourselves to You, You change us to make us more like You each day, so that as You are, so are we in this world. In one sense, we each have so far to go. But in another sense, it’s already done. “It is finished” through the sacrifice of Christ (John 19:30). In that sense, we were completely changed into Your image the moment we welcomed Your Spirit into our hearts. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.… For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). It is done in heaven, and now it is being done here on earth as it is in heaven. Every moment we willing choose by the grace You give to entrust ourselves to You, earth comes into agreement with heaven, our nature comes into alignment with Your nature. Your kingdom comes and Your will is done—here on earth and here in our hearts by Your Spirit—as it is in heaven. “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). By the power of Your Holy Spirit, living in us, changing us every moment of every day, heaven comes to earth. What was eternally done in Christ is now being personally done in us. And “as You are, so are we in this world.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Our Monday Night "Come To The Mountain" Prayer Group for Israel and the Peace of Jerusalem led by Bob and Doris McCray every Monday Night is now meeting at First Assembly of God, 2780 Clays Mill Rd, at the corner of Clays Mill and Pasadena in Lexington. All are welcome at 7 p.m. Contact Bob & Doris for details: bndmccray@windstream.net And please let anyone know who might be interested. Friends, thank you! for your prayers for our Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry, Level I that I was teaching last week in Wilmore, Kentucky on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary. This is one of the ways I try to share what I've learned from healing prayer ministry in practical ways for equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in our generation. All are welcome. The teaching is based upon my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. (Order from www.amazon.com or our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org) If you would like to join us for future schools, Level I or Level II, please let us know by contacting Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 We make scholarships available through donations to our ministry so that all may attend. God bless you and the Holy Spirit equips you and empowers you for your unique calling and destiny in ministry to God and for His people. If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Many pastors, leaders, and home groups use these for Bible studies and prayer ministry training. 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

No More Bitter Waters 1-30-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Friend and my Father, my Savior and Sanctifier, my Helper and Healer, my Maker and Master, my All in All. And I entrust my life and my day to You, my God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … “When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter…. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet” (Exodus 15:23-25). Lord, You love to turn our bitter places sweet. You love to give us Your beauty for our ashes, Your garments of praise for our spirit of heaviness, Your joy for our sorrows, Your faith for our doubts, Your hope for our discouragement, Your clear purpose for our aimless wanderings. The piece of wood of the old rugged cross changes the stagnant pools of our souls into rivers of living waters. For You are the God who redeems all things we will entrust into Your care. You are the God who frees us and heals us and calls us to walk in Your ways (Exodus 15:26). Lord, deliver us from complaining about all it seems You’re not doing in our lives. And remind us to be thankful and grateful for all You are doing in our lives. We will move out of the places of our wilderness and into the places of Your promises as we learn to seek You and praise You in all things. Your living waters are sweet. So let us drink deeply of Your Spirit every day, remembering to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Every day You set before us a choose of the perspective of life we will choose. We can choose life or death, blessing or curse, to depend upon You or depend upon ourselves, to move forward or look back, to live in Your Spirit or in our flesh. Every day, Your living waters are free to all who will come and drink. “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters! … Incline your ear, and come to Me; listen so that you may live” (Isaiah 55:1-3). Trusting in You, we never have to drink the bitter waters again. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Our Monday Night "Come To The Mountain" Prayer Group for Israel and the Peace of Jerusalem led by Bob and Doris McCray every Monday Night is now meeting at First Assembly of God, 2780 Clays Mill Rd, at the corner of Clays Mill and Pasadena in Lexington. All are welcome at 7 p.m. Contact Boby & Doris for details: bndmccray@windstream.net Friends, thank you! for your prayers for our Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry, Level I, I've been teaching in Wilmore, Kentucky on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary this week. Today is our last day and we've seen amazing breakthroughs in lives, while being equipped for prayer ministry. This is one of the ways I try to share what I've learned from healing prayer ministry in practical ways for equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in our generation. All are welcome. The teaching is based upon my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. (Order from www.amazon.com or our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org) If you would like to join us for future schools, Level I or Level II, please let us know by contacting Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 We make scholarships available through donations to our ministry so that all may attend. God bless you and the Holy Spirit equips you and empowers you for your unique calling and destiny in ministry to God and for His people. If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Many pastors, leaders, and home groups use these for Bible studies and prayer ministry training. 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

“Bear One Another’s Burdens” 1-29-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My eyes are on You. Let me start this new day centered in Jesus, embraced by my Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. … “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). You’ve brought together many different lives with many different stories and expressions of Your love and mercy through each of our journeys at our School of Spiritual Ministry this week. We each are seeking to be better equipped and empowered by Your Spirit for ministry. But above all, we are seeking an encounter with the Presence of the Living God. And You have not disappointed us. And it’s in those moments when we have humbled ourselves in prayer, to bear the burdens of the broken and bound in faith to the One who is our Burden-bearer, that we have most deeply experienced Your heart and encountered Your Presence. In this way, we fulfill the law of Christ. In this way, we join in the ministry of Christ, who “always lives to make intercession” for those who seek the help of God (Hebrews 7:25). In that sense, perhaps we are never more like Jesus than when we pray for one another and bear one another’s burdens to Christ. Yesterday we heard tragic news from home from one of our pastors. Your Holy Spirit moved us to pray: and class became an encounter with You, as You put Your burdens on our hearts to join with Your Spirit in the ministry of intercession. And to our great joy, word came back by the end of the day that everything was fine, all was well, the crisis of the moment had passed! Prayer makes a difference. And it is Your gift to us to allow us to join in the ministry of the One who ever lives to make intercession. That’s always been Your heart and Your ministry from the beginning—proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, healing the broken-hearted and setting the captives free, so that those who are touched and changed by Your power can display Your glory (Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19). This is “the law of Christ,” the grace of Christ, the ministry of Christ, and the heart of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this Wednesday through Saturday for our Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry, Level I, we are hosting and I am teaching in Wilmore, Kentucky on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary. This is one of the ways I try to share what I've learned from healing prayer ministry in practical ways for equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in our generation. All are welcome. The teaching is based upon my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. (Order from www.amazon.com or our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org) If you would like to join us for future schools, Level I or Level II, please let us know by contacting Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 We make scholarships available through donations to our ministry so that all may attend. God bless you and the Holy Spirit equips you and empowers you for your unique calling and destiny in ministry to God and for His people. If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Many pastors, leaders, and home groups use these for Bible studies and prayer ministry training. 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

Fill My Day with Good Things 1-28-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender all—all I am, all I have. I am Yours and You are mine. Help me live this day in that truth. … “Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment…. O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures…. They all look to You to give them their food in due season; when You give to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things…. When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground…. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works—who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord” (Psalm 104:1-34). O Lord, you are my Creator and I am one that You have created. You sent forth the breath of life by Your Spirit and created me. “I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Send forth Your breath of life today by Your Spirit and renew me. Let the dust of the earth in my body tremble before You and let the smoke arise from the fire of my heart You set ablaze by the touch of Your presence. I will sing my song of praise to You as long as I live. I will set my mind on things above and not below; I will set my hope on the things to come and not things that have passed; I will my face toward to calling and purpose and destiny You have set with expectant faith in the yearning of my soul. So may You gather me up and open Your hand and fill my day with Your good things. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this Wednesday through Saturday for our Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry, Level I, we are hosting and I am teaching in Wilmore, Kentucky on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary. This is one of the ways I try to share what I've learned from healing prayer ministry in practical ways for equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in our generation. All are welcome. The teaching is based upon my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. (Order from www.amazon.com or our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org) If you would like to join us for future schools, Level I or Level II, please let us know by contacting Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 We make scholarships available through donations to our ministry so that all may attend. God bless you and the Holy Spirit equips you and empowers you for your unique calling and destiny in ministry to God and for His people. If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Many pastors, leaders, and home groups use these for Bible studies and prayer ministry training. 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

Lamentations of Praise, Hope, and Faith 1-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the first word of my day be Your name. Let the first thought of my morning be Your praise. … “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:21-25). Someone has said, “Lamentations is the highest form of praise.” And I believe it is the highest form of faith and the deepest expression of hope. In the words of Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). In the words of Isaiah, “Though I go through the waters, the rivers, and the fires, they shall not destroy me nor consume me, for You are with me, and You love me, and You say I am precious in Your sight. You have called me by name and I am Yours” (from Isaiah 43:1-7). In the words of David, “Though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You even prepare a table for me in the very presence of my enemies and make my cup to overflow. So there is no doubt that my hope is secure in You, for You cause Your goodness and Your mercy to follow me all the days of my life” (from Psalm 23). This is the hope I have. This is my faith. Your love for me never ceases. Your mercies for me are new every morning. You are all I need and You are all I really have. No matter what days of darkness or discouragement I may endure, no matter what burdens of heaviness I may feel I’m bearing, I will seek You in the midst of it all, I will look for You to be standing with me in the flames and carrying me when it feels I can’t go on. Though sorrow may last for the night, Your joy comes with the morning. And every morning comes fresh with Your mercies for the day. Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord. So may my lamentations to You be an offering of highest praise, a declaration of undoubting faith, and an expression of deepest hope—all in response to Your unfailing love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this Wednesday through Saturday for our Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry, Level I, we are hosting and I am teaching in Wilmore, Kentucky on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary. This is one of the ways I try to share what I've learned from healing prayer ministry in practical ways for equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in our generation. All are welcome. The teaching is based upon my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance. (Order from www.amazon.com or our web site www.shop.messiah-ministries.org) If you would like to join us for future schools, Level I or Level II, please let us know by contacting Marilyn, our Director of Ministries, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 We make scholarships available through donations to our ministry so that all may attend. God bless you and the Holy Spirit equips you and empowers you for your unique calling and destiny in ministry to God and for His people. If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Many pastors, leaders, and home groups use these for Bible studies and prayer ministry training. 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

“As One” 1-25-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your light shine, let Your love flow through my life today. … “And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Then Joshua, the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God” (Ezra 3:1-2, NKJV). “As one” the people came together to rebuild the altar of the Lord after generations of destruction. The leaders of the people of God “arose as one to oversee the working of the house of God” (Ezra 3:9). There is power in the principle of unity. Together they heard and obeyed the voice of God directing their steps to accomplish Your will. And when the foundation of the house of God was set in place for the building of temple, all the leaders and all the people began to shout and praise the Lord their God—the God who is good and whose mercy endures forever” (Ezra 3:10-11). At our city-wide and regional Strategic Prayer Summit this weekend, Your Holy Spirit drew us together as one from many different streams and traditions of Your Body to seek Your face and listen for Your voice. As one, Your stirred our hearts with vision to be a city known for mercy and for the Father Heart of God, a city of refuge, and a place of a pool where Your healing waters are stirred and where Your river of life flows. This is our prophetic destiny. And this is the foundation of our identity in Christ and our calling before God as a people of this region of central Kentucky around the city of Lexington. By Your grace and in Your power, my You build Your Church with apostolic leadership and prophetic revelation upon the foundation You’ve set in our hearts, with Christ alone as our Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Though there are many different expressions in many different local gatherings in buildings and homes and places where two or more gather together in Your name, there is only one Church in our city, in our region, and in all the earth. “There is one body and one Spirit, just (we) were called in one hope of (our) calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in(us) all” (Ephesians 4:4). And as one with You, one with each other, and one in devotion to the vision and calling You’ve set in our hearts by the leading of Your Spirit, the world will know that the Father has sent His Son to our city and region and to all the world in the love and mercy of God (John 17:20-23). You’re the God of this city and of all the earth. May our love and our lives honor You each day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for covering us in your prayers for our Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit, to begin this year seeking to know our calling and fulfill our destiny in our city and region. When we come together as one in the unity of the Spirit of God, there the Lord commands His blessing and releases His anointing to flow freely (Psalm 133). We experienced that this weekend and I pray the same for your city and region as the one Spirit of our one Father continues to unite the One Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout the earth in our generation, in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer (John 17). God bless you as you join as one with others in Him to seek His face and obey His voice in your life and the region He has entrusted to you with responsibility and authority in prayer. 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! If you're unable to attend, You can order the DVDs from our Level I and Level II Schools of Spiritual Ministry from our resources page: 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