Disciple of Love 5-20-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I call upon Your name and I depend upon Your grace. I welcome You into my thoughts, into my desires, and into the moments of my day. ... “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus, I want to be Your disciple. I want to follow You, learn from You, live for You. A long time ago I opened my heart to Your Spirit and entrusted my life into Your hands. Thank You for reminding me this morning that the mark of my discipleship is love. Let love be my aim in all I do today. Some situations will be harder in which to express and experience Your love than others. Some people will be harder to give love to and receive love from than others. But by the power of the grace of God, help me let Your love lead me in every encounter of my day. If I don’t, I can’t be Your disciple. If I don’t, I won’t be following You, learning from You, or living for You. It’s as simple as that. “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (1 John 4:16). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this Friday Night May 21! at 7 pm. Our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry of singing prophetically over the people and the land. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Spirit of Christ and Antichrist 5-19-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me Your grace to start this new day centered in Christ, embraced by my Father, and filled with Your Holy Spirit. … “Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour…. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge…. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also…. And this is what He has promised us, eternal life. I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you…. But as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:18-28). There is only an antichrist because there is first the true Christ. There is only a counterfeit because there is first the Truth. The enemy of our souls comes to confuse and deceive. He even “disguises himself as an angel of light” and “his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). He tells us what we want to hear. He offers us his false promises to our perceived needs to subtly lure us away from the Truth and the One who is the Answer to all we need and the fulfillment of every true promise of God. He comes to distort the truth and disrupt the timing of the plans and purposes of God, while seeking to defile and defame the name and the nature of our One True God (Daniel 7:25). And though he may seem to prevail against us and our God for a season, he will not prevail forever (Daniel 7:26-27). The antichrist spirit is the opposite of the “Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9). He tempts us to grow impatient for Your promises and skeptical of Your truth, confusing us and causing us to forget that “through faith and patience (we) inherit the promises” of the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 6:12). So he comes to offer his false promises, tempting us to compromise with the truth and accept without discernment the “blessings” of his false “power and signs and lying wonders” which are always out of Your true timing and never of Your true nature (2 Thessalonians 2:9). In this last hour of this final season of this age before Your coming to receive Your Bride, we must have Your discernment. Open our eyes to see what is real as well as what is false. Sensitize our spirits to sense what is righteous and true as well as what is unholy and wrong. Strengthen us in our resolve to settle for nothing less than all that You have for us, but always in Your time and in Your way, with the faith and patience You provide to all who will humble themselves to ask and to wait. “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of His mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of the glory of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Come, Lord Jesus. Abide in me this day and every day. One day You will come again in Your glory in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But every day between now and then, You want to come in the glory of Your manifest Presence in our hearts by Your Spirit. As we abide in You and You abide in us, You make us sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit and You teach us the spiritual discernment we must have to not only endure, but to flourish, into the fullness of all You have prepared for us in these last days before Your coming. Whether we have seven years or seventy years to wait for Your coming in Your glory to receive Your pure, spotless Bride, may we be found faithful and ready to receive You (Ephesians 5:27). On that day, we will praise and shout with all of heaven: “ ‘Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (Revelation 19:7-8). By the power of Your grace, we will be ready then because the true Spirit of Christ is at work within us, making us ready now. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this Friday Night May 21! at 7 pm. Our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry of singing prophetically over the people and the land. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Music City 5-18-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are Emmanuel, God with us, always with us. You are my God, always with me in every dimension of Your Being—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … “Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to Him who rides upon the clouds—His name is the Lord—be exultant before Him” (Psalm 68:4). They call Nashville, Tennessee “Music City.” We’ve come here for a few days with my friend Heather Butler and her family and friends from Wales. You’ve gifted her as a prophetic psalmist, who sings spontaneously the words You stir by Your Spirit in her heart over people and over the land. And she wanted to come to this city that’s known around the world for the songs that are sent forth to the nations from this place. Many are drawn here to find their voice and that their voice may be found. And many are drawn here to hear the sound of the songs that are birthed here and timelessly honored here. Even the building that became the Grand Ole Opry has its roots in revival, worship, and prayer in the heart of this city. And we join with the prayers of many that this city’s redemptive gifts of worship, praise, and creative song be sanctified, purified, and released in power to proclaim Your name in all the earth. Music is a gift to stir our hearts in songs of praise. Music is a gift that helps us express our deepest emotions, declare our highest hopes, and literally change the atmosphere around us. And music is a gift You give us as You sing Your songs of Spirit and Truth over us to minister Your healing, comfort, and encouragement. “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, NJKV). Thank You, Lord, for singing over us. And thank You, Lord, for singing through us to change our hearts and change the atmosphere around us. May You release new waves of creative song and powerful worship in this city and in our hearts throughout the earth. We sing praises to Your name. And we praise Your name for singing over us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this Friday Night May 21! at 7 pm. Our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry of singing prophetically over the people and the land. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Choose Well: The Heart of Mary or Judas 5-17-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart. … “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (the one who was about to betray Him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of My burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me’ ” (John 12:3-8). Your Word says Judas was “one of (Your) disciples.” Can we be disciples of Christ, those who follow the Master to learn Your ways and grow in Your nature, yet have such weeds of wickedness and seeds of betrayal sown into the same heart? (Matthew 13:24-25) Can we come to a place of such double-mindedness to follow You one day and betray You the next? Can we say the right words with all the self-righteousness we can muster and all the religious piety we can project, while having all the wrong motives with all the wrong heart? Judas was called to walk with God, but the longer he continued in the journey, the more his true heart revealed. Some would say Judas was destined for destruction from the beginning (John 17:12). They would say he was an object of wrath, prepared and made by God for destruction to make known God’s glory for the objects of His mercy (Romans 9:22-24). But I don’t believe that’s the whole counsel of God for how it works. I believe Your Word when You say You are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance in the knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9). I believe Your Word when You say that whoever believes in You will not perish, but will have everlasting life (John 3:16). Though You see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, though You see every choice we will ever make by the grace You give us, the choices are ours to make. You set before each of us life or death, blessing or curse, for each of us to choose whom we will serve and how we shall live (Deuteronomy 30:19). And with every choice we make, our hearts become more yielded in obedience or more hardened in rebellion. Though You know our destiny, it’s our choices we make in the freedom of You give that determine it. You create us and call us to be fulfilled in Your destiny for us, but You also warn us that the consequences of our choices are real. True obedience requires the freedom to choose to obey or not; true worship requires the freedom to choose to worship or not; and true love requires the freedom to choose to love or not. Judas was called to be a son of God, one of Your disciples (Matthew 10:1). But his persistence in his choices of corruption and betrayal revealed his heart to be a “son of perdition” rather than a son of God (John 17:12, NKJV). He could have chosen life, but he chose death; he could have chosen the blessing, but he chose the curse; and with every choice, the path of his destiny was determined. Finally, even though Judas was one of Your disciples, Satan himself entered into him through the door of his heart consistently opened to deception and betrayal (Luke 22:3). Mary chose well, but Judas did not. Mary knew the needs of the poor and the call to sacrifice in discipleship. But above all, she consistently offered You the best she had to give, the sacrifice of her willing heart opened to You and poured out before You. In the power of Your grace, Mary persistently chose “the better part, which will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:42). She chose life and blessing in every moment she had to spend with You, revealing the truth of the love of God sown deeply within her heart. Lord, in the power of Your grace, help me cultivate the heart of Mary, not the heart of Judas. Help me choose well, consistently and persistently. May the Spirit of God enter my heart every day, not the spirit of perdition. As You set before me each day life or death, blessing or curse, help me choose the better part, as You seal my destiny into Your hands and my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this month! Friday Night May 21 at 7 pm our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry and a word for Kentucky with us, A Leap of Faith. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in the His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Both Resurrection Power and Real-life Pain 5-14-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You, Lord God, in spirit, soul, and body. And now I listen for Your leading in the silence of my surrender before You in these first moments of my morning. … “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill” (John 11:2). Mary was a worshipper. She loved You deeply with all her heart. And You loved her and her sister and her brother (v. 11:5). Yet all her love, all her worship, all her intimate times of her personal relationship with You did not shelter her from encountering real-life suffering, pain, and disappointment at times in her life. There are battles we will face with sickness, sin, and death in this broken, fallen world in the process of being redeemed and transformed by the coming of the Kingdom of God. And even though there would come a day when Mary’s brother Lazarus would soon overcome the very power of death in the name of the One who is the very power of life, her worshipping heart still had to endure a time of grief and sorrow (v. 11:31). But in those times, You gave her room to ask her questions and express her grief and disappointment (v. 11:32). And her pain moved Your heart. “When Jesus saw her weeping … He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved…. Jesus began to weep” (v. 11:33-35). All the resurrection power of God to come, all the certainty of faith even in the heart of the Son of God and Son of Man, did not take away those moments of pain for both You and for Mary. The power of God and the coming of the Kingdom of God do not exempt us with some kind of magical immunity from the brokenness and pain we often encounter in our broken, fallen world. But You are the God who is always with us through our brokenness and in our pain. You are the God who’s there to hear our questions and comfort us in our doubts and encourage us in our faith. And though we face suffering, sin, and death in so many ways so much of the time until Your Kingdom fully comes and Your will is completely done here on earth as it is in heaven, we never have to face it alone. So Your Spirit lifts our eyes to the hills from where our help comes from and opens our hearts to the One who is “the resurrection and the life.” With our hope and faith in You, as we continue to seek You and worship You through it all, even though we may suffer or sin or die, yet shall we live (v. 11:25). This is one of the ways You cause all things to work together for our good and for “God’s glory” (v. 11:4). And this is the hope and assurance we have through everything we encounter and endure in our journey through this world with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, I pray you'll always know the Lord's deep compassion, tender mercies, and mighty strength with you always through anything you endure. Thank you so much for all your prayer for me through those times I've encountered. The best of all, God is with us through it all. And God redeems it all as we entrust it all to Him. God bless you! Welsh Revival at The Fountain this month! Friday Night May 21 at 7 pm our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry and a word for Kentucky with us, A Leap of Faith. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in the His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

The God Who Humbles Himself to Hear 5-13-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I sit before You in prayer this morning, set things right before me throughout my day. … “Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 113:5-9). Though You are high above all things, there’s nothing that escapes Your attention. You are transcendently beyond every dimension of our existence; and at the same time, You are also intimately involved in every detail of our lives. You know every hair on our heads and You know every sparrow that falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29-30). Somehow in the sovereignty of Your majesty and the infinite power of Your might, You are the God “who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:5, NKJV). And when You humble Yourself to behold us, You are not merely observing; You are actively engaged in the unfolding of our days. You not only hear our prayers from on high, You bend down low to hear our heart’s cry, to feel our passion and our pain, our thanksgiving and our joy (Psalm 116:2). In mystery of Your sovereignty and our freedom, You respond in the power of Your love to the needs and desires of Your people. You raise up the poor; You lift up the needy; You cheer up the discouraged; You break up the fallow; and You build up the downtrodden. You hear us when we cry and respond to us when we pray (Psalm 116:1). And then You remind us that as we live out our lives on earth in this earthly dimension, we are also already seated up there with You in Your heavenly dimension (Ephesians 2:6). You make us to “sit with princes” at Your table in the heavens on high because we are sons and daughters of the King even here on earth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Welsh Revival at The Fountain this month! Friday Night May 21 at 7 pm our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry and a word for Kentucky with us, A Leap of Faith. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in the His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Comfort and Compassion in the Wilderness 5-12-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. My knees bow and my tongue confesses that You are Lord. … “Listen to Me you who pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and voice of song” (Isaiah 51:1-3). Zion failed You, yet You will comfort her. Israel forgot the covenant of Your promises, yet the promises of Your Word are everlasting. And like the people of Your covenant, we all have gone astray, we all have fallen short of Your glory, and we all have failed to always walk in Your ways. We reap what we sow and we journey to the places where we have set our faces. There are consequences for our choices and punishment for our sins. But You are faithful even when we are faithless. You are merciful and loving even when we are judging and condemning—of others and of ourselves. And even when we find ourselves in the waste places and wildernesses of our choices and the choices of those around us, both personally and as a people—You do not forget us; You do not forsake us; You do not fail us. Even there and even then, You say, “Listen to me…. Look to Me…. Remember Me and My promises to you. For in the desert places, I will come to You. In the wilderness, I will comfort you. Regardless of your current circumstances, I will come to you and comfort you, for I have compassion for you. I will come and remind you that you are Mine. I have created you and called you. I have purposed My plans for you. And my plans shall come to pass for all who will continue to call on My name. So wherever you are, pursue Me, for I am your righteousness. Wherever you find yourself, seek Me, for I will lead you home, for I will make My home in your heart even in that place. Then My joy and gladness will fill your soul and your songs of thanksgiving will fill your mouth.” Yes, Lord. Even the wilderness is like Eden when You are with me. Even the challenges of difficult circumstances cannot steel my peace and my joy when I embrace Your Presence and remember Your promises. So as best as I can and all by Your grace, I will listen to You and look to You; I will remember You and pursue You. And You will be with me to meet me and encourage me and embrace me wherever I’ve gone, whatever I am. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Morning by Morning, Tuesday 5-11-10 – “Stretch Out Your Hand to Heal” Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted today on the throne of my heart; be present today at the center of my life. … “ ‘And now, Lord, … grant to Your servants to speak Your Word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through Your holy child Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31). Yes, Lord. Just as it was the cry of the heart of Your first disciples in the beginning of this age of Your Church, so You are reawakening that cry in the hearts of Your disciples here at the end of this age of Your Church. We are Your servants, Your sons and daughters. We are Your Body of Christ, yearning to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ, that we many glorify the Name of Christ. In the power of Your Spirit, living in us, would You stretch out Your hand through Your Body to heal. Would You speak forth Your Word through our mouths to bring forth Your life in the final harvest of the earth (Luke 10:2). O Lord, shake us from our slumber. Awaken us to our destiny. Empower us for Your glory. Give us boldness to advance in obedience to Your command and Your commission. Increase the anointing of Presence for healing throughout the earth in this hour. Heal us, so You can use us in Your healing of others. Free us, so You can use us in the freedom of others. May the glory of these latter days be even greater than the glory of the former days (Haggai 2:9). May Your glory be displayed through Your people, proclaiming Your Word and moving in the power of Your Spirit (Isaiah 61:3). And may Your glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Yes, Lord. Like the cry of the heart of Simeon, let us see Your glory displayed mightily in this earth before we die (Luke 2:26). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer this week. Our ministry is receiving the core training for the International Association of Healing Rooms ministry, which will be an additional component of Messiah Ministries as The Healing Rooms of Lexington (www.healingrooms.com) Ben & Pam Ellis, the statewide advisors are with us this week. And please be praying for Heather Butler and her family and friends from Wales to arrive safely later this week to minister to us at The Fountain this month on May 21st in Lexington. God bless you! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“Stretch Out Your Hand to Heal” 5-11-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted today on the throne of my heart; be present today at the center of my life. … “ ‘And now, Lord, … grant to Your servants to speak Your Word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through Your holy child Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31). Yes, Lord. Just as it was the cry of the heart of Your first disciples in the beginning of this age of Your Church, so You are reawakening that cry in the hearts of Your disciples here at the end of this age of Your Church. We are Your servants, Your sons and daughters. We are Your Body of Christ, yearning to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christ, that we many glorify the Name of Christ. In the power of Your Spirit, living in us, would You stretch out Your hand through Your Body to heal. Would You speak forth Your Word through our mouths to bring forth Your life in the final harvest of the earth (Luke 10:2). O Lord, shake us from our slumber. Awaken us to our destiny. Empower us for Your glory. Give us boldness to advance in obedience to Your command and Your commission. Increase the anointing of Presence for healing throughout the earth in this hour. Heal us, so You can use us in Your healing of others. Free us, so You can use us in the freedom of others. May the glory of these latter days be even greater than the glory of the former days (Haggai 2:9). May Your glory be displayed through Your people, proclaiming Your Word and moving in the power of Your Spirit (Isaiah 61:3). And may Your glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Yes, Lord. Like the cry of the heart of Simeon, let us see Your glory displayed mightily in this earth before we die (Luke 2:26). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer this week. Our ministry is receiving the core training for the International Association of Healing Rooms ministry, which will be an additional component of Messiah Ministries as The Healing Rooms of Lexington (www.healingrooms.com) Ben & Pam Ellis, the statewide advisors are with us this week. And please be praying for Heather Butler and her family and friends from Wales to arrive safely later this week to minister to us at The Fountain this month on May 21st in Lexington. God bless you! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“Full of Gladness with Your Presence” 5-10-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Wait for You and watch for You and welcome You into my heart and my day. … “For David says, concerning Him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your Presence’ ” (Acts 2:25-28). I am not holy, but You are. I am not almighty, all-knowing, always faithful, but You are. And somehow, by the grace of God, You not only dwell high in the holiest of the heavens, but You also humble Yourself to condescend to dwell in me and each of Your children who are called by Your name. By the Spirit of Christ, dwelling in me, You are always before me, always near me, always within me. You are always making known to me Your ways of life, leading me in Your paths of righteousness, establishing me in the security of Your love and empowering me to live in Your hope. Even when I falter, even when I fail, even when I faithlessly doubt, You are with me to correct me, forgive me, encourage me, embrace me, and make me again “full of gladness with Your Presence.” In the strength of Your mercy and grace, “I will not be shaken,” but only become more convinced of Your steadfast love and Your unfailing mercy that’s new every morning, in Your faithful quest to make me more like You each day by the power of Your Spirit. “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. 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 8:9-11). So my heart will be glad, my tongue will rejoice, and my spirit will thank You, my God, for being ever-present with me this day and forevermore. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Come Live in Me 5-7-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted, O God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. … “The God who made the world and everything in it, He who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24-25). Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of all, Ruler of everything, I bow my knees and my heart before You, admitting Your authority in my life. You are the Source and Supply of every good thing. I can’t build for You a temple with my hands or even a church building with my money that can contain You or control You, appease You or influence You. I can only make room for You here in my heart. My heart is Your temple; Your people are Your church. And the glory of Your Presence comes to fill the temples of the hearts of those who lift up their faces to seek You and open up their hearts to embrace You. “For in (You) we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). No one call fully understand You, fully explain You, fully experience You. You are the Creator and we are the created; You are so infinite and we are so finite. But You have placed deep within the hearts of us all a desire to seek You and know You. “From one ancestor He made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and He allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for Him and find Him—though indeed He is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:26-27). So when I don’t understand, I will seek You. When I yearn to encounter You and experience You, I will seek You. When I question my purpose, doubt my inheritance, admit my impatience, I will seek You. Seeking You, searching for Your, groping for You is part of Your plan to open my heart to receive You and embrace You. And all the while You are not far from me; You’re just ahead of me, drawing me closer to You. This si the way You fulfill Your promise to me and to all who seek You: “When you search for Me, You will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13-14). So as best as I can, all by Your grace, with all of my heart, I seek You. I make room for You. I embrace You. I choose again today to live and move and have my being in You. Come live in me. Come fill Your temple with the glory of Your Presence. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert--Pls Join with Us in Ministry

Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert "For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert" --Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend, Thank you for your friendship and relationship with me and our ministry. These are exciting days in the Kingdom of God! We are thrilled with all the Lord seems to be doing in the life of Messiah Ministries. He has called us to do our part in our generation to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free, to prepare the way of the Lord and minister the healing love of God. Thank you for every way you have been a part of fulfilling our calling and vision. Though doors of opportunity for ministry continue to open wide and we continue to work hard in the strength of the Lord to fulfill the vision He has given us, this economic desert season is causing us to be even more desperately dependent upon the Lord alone in faith for all our provision. In seeking His wisdom and answers in prayer, we believe He gave us a strategy for our ministry finances in this wilderness time -- Isaiah 35 Streams. In humility and faith, we are inviting you to partner with us in ministry, spiritually and financially, by contributing $35 a month or more to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. We praise God for His faithfulness! And we thank God for you, as you join with us as a significant part of His provision for His ministry for the glory of His name and His Kingdom. But even a regular, monthly contribution of $10/ month makes a huge difference along with the help of everyone to provide a sense of peace from worry about our ministry finances and fulfillment of our calling. Please prayerfully consider our invitation. And if this stirs in your spirit with joy to join us as the Lord's answers to our prayers, please covenant with us this year to be a part of Isaiah 35 Streams. I will be very glad to talk with you about this or describe more of our vision and calling in ministry. I pray you see our ministry as good soil in which to sow your seed for God's harvest. May the Lord bless you and pour out His exceedingly abundant blessings and provision for you this year -- We pray "a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap ..." (Luke 6:38). In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org online contributions: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 (All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, greatly needed and greatly appreciated)

America’s National Day of Prayer 5-6-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my voice and call on Your name in the communion of prayer at the start of this day. … “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7). Across America today, Your people who are called by Your name will humble themselves and pray. This is our National Day of Prayer. Some may say, “Well, every day should be a day of prayer.” And so it should. But this day is not like any other day. On this day, as the Body of Christ in our nation, we come together in the unity of the bond of the Holy Spirit, as sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven through the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In so many ways, we will come together without regard for doctrinal and denominational differences. We will come together on courthouse steps, public parks, capitol rotundas, in courtyards and around flagpoles, by the water coolers and in cafeterias, at churches and at homes, and wherever two are more will gather in in the name of Jesus. We will come together under the name that is above every name, that unites us as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord (Philippians 2:9). Together as one, we will pray “will all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as (we) were called to the 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 all” (Ephesians 4:2-6). Today in prayer, we turn to You alone and trust in You alone as our stronghold and refuge. In You alone do we put our hope and faith—not in our politicians, not in our government, not in the laws, not in our own sense of goodness, self-sufficiency, or pride. In God we trust, as one nation under God. Some may challenge our faith that You will hear our prayers as a nation: “What about your political leaders? What about your national sins? What about your watered-down faith, left-behind values, and compromising witness? Who are you to pray and expect God to hear? You may be a nation with a few Christians, but you are no longer a Christian nation.” But this is what I hear You say, “Did I not say I would spare even Sodom if I could find but ten righteous? Are there not yet ten righteous, not of their own but by the blood of My Son, who yet bow their knees and their hearts to humble themselves on behalf of this nation to call on My name? I am not a man to see as others see. I am the Lord your God. And I look upon the heart. And when I look upon the heart of America, I see a remnant of My people who are called by My name who still humble themselves to pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, that I may hear and forgive and heal this land. Even in My judgments, My correction, and My discipline shall I remember mercy because of the heart I see in My people. Do not despair. Do not doubt. For I am the God who holds the hearts of kings in My hand, who holds the destinies of nations in My will. There is yet a destiny for this nation. Persevere in prayer. Trust in Me. For I am good and I am God. I am your Refuge in times of trouble. I care for those who trust in Me.” Yes, Lord. All of this that is Your word will go forth, not returning void, but accomplishing all to which You have purposed in Your heart to do (Isaiah 55:11). Any that’s not will fall to the ground and die, but all that is will arise in a word of hope, breaking the power of disillusion and doubt, restoring us to faith in the power of Your redemption of our hearts and our land. May You look down from Heaven today and see again one nation under God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friends in America and abroad, please join with us in prayer to God for America today. May we turn to God and call on His name and yet fulfill our destiny. Together with our brothers and sisters from every tribe and tongue and nation in the earth under the banner of Christ, may we be together "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9). I would welcome your prayers for me today at noon, as I speak for the National Day of Prayer gathering in the business marketplace at the Corporate Headquarters of Lexmark International. In the Lexington, Kentucky area, please join the group downtown at Phoenix Park at noon across from the Courthouse for the National Day of Prayer public gathering outdoors to pray for our nation. Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Overcoming Principalities and Powers 5-5-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Lord God Almighty, You are One and You are holy and You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. … “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:8-12, NKJV). When we unite as one among all the scattered streams and fractured identities of Your Church, we are a witnesses together of Your manifold wisdom and Your mighty power to the world, to ourselves, and even “to the principalities and power in the heavenly places” (John 17:21). Those “principalities and powers” are often the evil territorial spiritual entities ruling and reigning from their thrones over their dominions, assigned and strategically positioned over our cities, regions, nations, and all spheres of community influence (see Daniel 10:10-14). They only have dominion where we, as a people throughout generations, have forfeited our dominion, giving them permission to influence our minds and our cultures in the unholy ways they desire by our choices in rebellion and disobedience to the ways of God. Our choices enthrone them and empower them to influence us and reign over us to the degree we continue to submit to their thoughts in our minds and their desires in our hearts. We reap what we sow, both in our generation and in the generations to come, defiling our lives and defiling the land (Galatians 6:7). This battle is spiritual battle, raging in the heavenly places by our choices and actions every day on earth, giving permission to either the Holy Spirit or these unholy spirits to have tremendous influence and dominion in our lives. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV). This battle is real, being waged every day, and being manifested here on earth as it is in the heavenly places. But in the victory of the cross and the glory of resurrection, You have “disarmed principalities and powers, (having) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15, NKJV). In the power of the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, You have defeated the claim of those evil entities to continue to rule and reign over us in our lives and our land, “having forgiven (us) all trespasses” and “having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:11-14). Our part is to agree with what You have done, declaring and enforcing the victory of the cross—the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, the ways of the Spirit over the ways of the flesh—every day in every area of our lives and our land. The victory is already won! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:3-4). When we live out Your victory by the power of Your grace in our choices and actions every day, we enforce the victory of the cross You’ve already won in our lives. Principalities and powers are pushed back and displaced by the light of the glory of God over our lives and over our land. Your Kingdom comes, Your will is done, here on earth as it is in heaven through Your Church. Together in You, we “make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery” so that the “manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church” and the “unsearchable riches of Christ” are declared and established on earth as it is in heaven. As we do, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV). Together in You, as Your Church around this world, from every tribe and tongue and nation, we will take our place in You, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21 and 2:6). True unity in the bond of Your Spirit, submitted to Your ways and Your dominion is the key to enforcing the victory as overcomers in Christ to possess the land of our inheritance and embrace the blessings of our God in our lives. “Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity…. For there the Lord commands the blessing—Life for evermore” (Psalm 133:1-3). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, if you would be interested in my teaching on this topic that stirred up in my prayer today, please consider ordering my book, Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance, where I cover much of this in the section on generational blessings and curses. www.shop.messiah-ministries.org or www.amazon.com I would welcome your prayers for me tomorrow as I speak for the National Day of Prayer gathering in the business marketplace at the Corporate Headquarters of Lexmark International. In the Lexington, KY area, please join the group downtown at Phoenix at noon across from the Courthouse at noon for the National Day of Prayer public gathering outdoors to pray for our nation. Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

At the Center of the Throne 5-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Savior and the Center of my life. … When I feel alone, You are my Companion When I feel afraid, You are my Comforter When I feel amiss, You are my Counselor When I feel attacked, You are my Champion You are the Savior and the Center of my life “For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship Him day and night within His temple, and the One who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor will any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15-17). When Graham Cooke came to speak to us and encourage us for the battles to come in Kentucky last year, I remember him saying, “The book of Revelation is my devotional book.” Everyone laughed because it’s filled with so much imagery of persecution and destruction to come in the final season at the end of this age. But as he was pointing out, all of that is centered around the message of the steadfast love and mighty power of Christ to comfort and encourage Your people to overcome, as we look to You and trust in Your plan and Your Word to bring victory in the end and strength through every battle. The Lamb of God is seated at the center of throne—no matter what may come, no matter how all things may unfold. O Lord, today and every day, be seated on the throne at the center of my life. Draw me close to You, under the shelter of the Almighty and into the secret place of the Most High, where Your angels watch over me and Your Holy Spirit encourages and empowers me (Psalm 91). As I worship You in spirit and truth, as I entrust to You my heart and my mind, I will not hunger or thirst for anything but You. As the Good Shepherd of my soul, You will guide me to Your springs of the water of life, providing in abundance all that I need (Ephesians 3:20). You are the Savior and the Center of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Rain or Shine 5-3-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace I give all that I am and all that I have into Your hands. … “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise and the evil and on the good, and send rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45). The sun has burst forth this morning after two days of torrential rains over our region. The sun can be such a sign of Your blessing when the days have been soggy and dark and dreary. But for those in the desert places where all is exposed and nothing is hidden from the scorch of its blaze, it can seem more like a curse of Your judgment rather than the favor of Your blessing. Likewise, the rain can be such a sign of Your blessing, calling us to “be glad and rejoice in the Lord (our) God; for He has given the early rain for (our) vindication; He has poured down for (us) abundant rain, the early and the later rain as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil…. (We) shall eatin plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord (our) God, who has dealt wondrously with (us)” (Joel 2:23-26). But those overwehelmed by the waters or dealing with the destruction that can come in the flash of a moment, can find it hard to find the silver lining in the dark clouds that rise in the abundance of rain. In my own experience, the first day I was praising Your name for the breakthrough in the heavenlies as a sign of Your breakthrough in our hearts. And the second day, I was calling on Your name for wisdom and mercy in response to river beginning for flow from my ceiling and through my walls in my garage. This morning I welcome “the sun of righteousness” to “rise with healing in its wings” and dry of the abundant blessings of the rain. So what are we to say in all these things? What are we believe You are saying to each of us in all these things? It seems You would say, “Now in this day and in the days to come, look to Me in all things. Seek My heart of redemption and My hand of favor in all that you may endure alongside all those who live and endure around you. Endure the seasons of blessing with glad hearts and rejoicing spirits, knowing I delight to give good gifts to My children. Endure the seasons of sorrow with patience and persistence, knowing I am always with you to bring you through every fearful time and every painful place. Even in My judgments, I always remember mercy. Even the discipline of My correction is from My love for you as My children. Even the plagues and judgments of the final season of this age will be from My heart of redemption, longing to bring every last soul who will call upon My name into My arms to spend all eternity with Me.” Yes, Lord. Help me keep looking to You, trusting in You, seeing Your good hand at work to redeem all things through this journey of life to make me more like You. Bring me to place in my spiritual maturity that I can say, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-14). So whether it rains or shines, come hell or high water, I will keep lifting my eyes and looking to the One from whom my help comes from (Psalm 121:1). I will choose by Your grace to be glad and rejoice, content to endure all things this world may hold with You by my side and Your Spirit in my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you so much for covering us in prayer at our School of Spiritual Ministry, Level 2 last week. The Lord met us in amazing ways, even with miraculous healings of spirit, soul, and body, as He was equipping us and imparting into us His Spirit for His ministry into the lives of others here and abroad. One friend of ours attending couldn't wear her wedding ring for years after a terrible accident leaving great pain and swelling her hands. She wore her wedding ring around her neck as a declaration of faith that as the Lord healed her in spirit, soul, and body, by the end of the School she would be wearing it on her finger. And she was! Praise God! That's just one of many testimonies to the Healing Love of God He was pouring out in our hearts by His Spirit. Thank you for joining with us in your prayers and your support that make this ministry possible! I pray that all the Lord has been pouring into us, He would pour into you in Jesus' name. DVD's of our teaching on Level 1 and Level 2 of our Schools of Spiritual Ministry are available for order for personal or group study if you're not able to come but may be called to this area of ministry or interested in learning more. This follows the teaching in my book Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Persisting in Faith Believing 4-30-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. Thank You for first loving me. … “And will not God grant justice to His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay long in helping them? I tell you, He will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8). A great way to teach is by learning. And a good way to learn is by doing. I’ve been teaching and learning and doing in our four day intensive School of Spiritual Ministry this week. We learned from You and prayed for one another. We’ve seen You move in the transforming power of Your healing and deliverance of spirit and soul and body, as You’ve ministered Your healing love to us and as You’ve been equipping us to minister Your healing love to others. As the Father sent You, so You send us as Your disciples to continue Your ministry in the power of Your Spirit to the glory of our Father and the proclamation of the power of Your name (John 20:21). Many of us have been praying and fasting for the complete healing and restoration to the fullness of life a young man in Florida named Phil. He’s been in a coma for some time. You’ve been moving in his spirit to desire to awaken and arise. You’ve moved in the hearts of many of us to keep asking, to keep seeking, to knocking in persistent, fervent prayer, in faith believing that one day we will see him rise up and walk, jumping and leaping and praise God (Matthew 7:7; Acts 3:8). As we prayed for him together last night and then checked in with his family by phone, we were all so excited to hear that he was stirring as we prayed. Encouraged and spurred on to tenacious prayer, we joined with Phil and his family by phone as we kept on asking, kept on seeking, kept on knocking. As we prayed, he moved. As we proclaimed in the authority of the name of Jesus, we knew he was agreeing in his spirit with our prayers. As we declared in the anointing of Your Holy Spirit in agreement with Your Holy Word, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”, we believed by faith Your were speaking life and releasing Your power into his spirit and soul and body (Ephesians 5:14). With excitement and anticipation, Phil responded with groans too deep for words, as Your Spirit moved in his spirit bringing his will into alignment with Your will and his earthly realm into alignment with Your heavenly realm (Romans 8:26). For the first time since entering this coma, Phil seemed to be responsive with his eyes! We have not yet seen him rise up out of that bed on his own. But it is our belief that he will. Those results are in Your hands. Your part is to do it; our part is to pray it. Like the woman who kept coming to the judge to persist in her plea for justice, we will keep coming to You, our Just Judge, our Great Physician, as long as we sense Your leading to pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done here on earth, here in Phil’s spirit and soul and body, just as it is in heaven. In heaven, there are no comas. Let there be no coma on earth, in the name of Jesus. We don’t always understand what seems like delay. We know Your Kingdom has come with the first coming of Christ and we know Your Kingdom will not yet be fully made manifest on earth as it is in heaven until the second coming of Christ. But between now and then, we will pray what You tell us to pray and we will say what You tell us to say as we seek to obey Your command to pray for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the grace of Your faith to persist and persevere, to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking until the floodgates of heaven are opened wide and answers to our prayers come raining down. 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 our 4 Day Intensive School of Spiritual Ministry I will be leading here in Lexington, teaching along with Dan Van Nice and Lisa Preston. By the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, we will be equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in the ministry of healing and deliverance to prepare the Bride of Christ and prepare the way of the Lord. DVD's of our teaching on Level 1 and Level 2 of our Schools, along with Powerpoint Outline presentations are available for order for personal or group study if you're not able to come but may be called to this area of ministry or interested in learning more. This follows the teaching in my book Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Sound and Blameless in Spirit, Soul, and Body 4-29-10

Morning by Morning, Thursday Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord God Almighty—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—I worship You in every dimension of Your Being in every dimension of my being—spirit, soul, and body. … “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and my your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do this. Beloved, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-25). The Apostle Paul yearned for those entrusted to the care of his ministry and those who would be touched by the ministry of his words for generations to come to be blessed with the beauty and power of holiness of heart and wholeness of life in spirit, soul, and body. And he wanted all of them to pray the same for himself. His words were not his alone; they were the words and will of Your Spirit speaking and praying through him for all believers of all generations to be sanctified and free, both “sound and blameless”, both healed and holy, in every area of our lives—in “spirit and soul and body.” You give us faith to desire it and believe it; You will be faithful to do it and we entrust ourselves to it. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). You make us both sound and blameless through Your ministry of healing and deliverance. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to prepare a holy Bride for the second coming His Son. One day a generation will look up and see You coming in the clouds in Your glory (1 Thessalonians 5:16). But every day between this day and that day, You desire every believer of every generation to lift up our faces and open up our hearts to welcome the King of Glory to come in to our hearts now. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:7-10). King of glory, I lift up the gates and open up the doors of age and moment of my life, of every sin and struggle of my past, of every hope and desire of my future, that the King of glory may come in. Heal me and sanctify me in spirit and soul and body. Deliver me from evil (Matthew 6:13). Crucify me from the nature of sin within me that must die so that I may truly live (Galatians 2:20). Free me from “all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” for “the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:16-17). Father God, You desire a people who are redeemed and restored to Your image through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:29). You are preparing a holy Bride to embrace the coming of our holy God (Ephesians 5:25-27). You are bringing many sons and daughters to glory, to bear Your image and display Your glory in our hearts and through our lives (Hebrews 2:10). Not our glory but Your glory, not in our power but in Your power, not in the image of fallen man but in the image of the resurrected Christ—“Christ in (us), the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). So through the ministry of Your healing and Your deliverance of Your people, You are healing the brokenhearted and setting the captives free (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19). You are preparing a people who will be preparing the way of the Lord in their hearts and on this earth, who “will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory. They will build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:3-4). We can’t do that, but You can. We can’t even desire it of ourselves, but You are putting Your desires in our hearts and Your thoughts in our minds so that Your will becomes our will and our nature becomes Your nature. “The One who calls (us) is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Lord God Almighty, do it in me now this day and every day until that day of Your coming in glory. Come now Holy Spirit, sanctify us entirely in spirit and soul and body, that we may be a people who are both sound and blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ ” (Revelation 22:17). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, some wonder what I teach in our Schools of Spiritual Ministry, in my books and teaching tapes, and share in my messages for healing and revival wherever I go at home and abroad. This prayer this morning is the heart of my message, in all the varies ways I teach it, preach it, and try to live it by the grace of God. Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for our 4 Day Intensive School of Spiritual Ministry I will be leading here in Lexington, teaching along with Dan Van Nice and Lisa Preston. By the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, we will be equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in the ministry of healing and deliverance to prepare the Bride of Christ and prepare the way of the Lord. DVD's of our teaching on Level 1 and Level 2 of our Schools, along with Powerpoint Outline presentations are available for order for personal or group study if you're not able to come but may be called to this area of ministry or interested in learning more. This follows the teaching in my book Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Come Out of Babylon 4-28-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart to You, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in these first moments of my morning. … “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire” (Jeremiah 51:58). In Your Word, “Babylon” seems to speak of worldly pride—the world centered in man rather than centered in Christ; the wisdom and ways, the mindset and might of insisting on living our lives apart from You and Your authority. It was at Babel that man said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). It was in Babel that Nimrod built his own kingdom out of his own might and his own pride for the glory of his own name (Genesis 10:8-10). And it was at Babel that the pride of man and the kingdoms of this world opened their gates to confusion and division as a result of their sin and rebellion against the authority and honor of God (Genesis 11:5-9). When we give in to this spirit of humanism and pride that centers our world around ourselves apart from You, we soon exhaust ourselves and weary ourselves. All our straining and striving to succeed in this world by the wisdom and might of our own ways for the glory of our own name will ultimately come to nothing. All that we build and all that we become will only amount in the end to nothing more than wood, hay, and stubble reserved only for fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-13). All will soon pass away, built upon the pleasures and for the purposes of the moment and the kingdoms of this world instead of storing up for ourselves the treasures of heaven in the Kingdom of God that will not pass away. So in Your mercy and love, You have called to us and cried out to us, “Come out of her, My people! Save your lives, each of you, from the fierce anger of the Lord!” (Jeremiah 51:45). Your fierce anger is turned against Babylon and all that the spirit of this world and its false pride does to destroy Your people and steal away the inheritance of our possession in Your Kingdom in exchange for the false blessings and the false promises of the kingdoms of this world that will not last and cannot fulfill. Bablyon will fall; in all its confusion and division, centered in the pride of man rather than the glory of God, insisting on its own ways instead of trusting in Your ways, it cannot stand (Jeremiah 51:44). This is the voice of Your Spirit speaking to Your Church in this hour as well. “ ‘Come out of her, My people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities’…. She will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her…. For in one hour all this wealth has been laid waste…. With such violence Babylon the great city will be thrown down and will be found no more” (Revelation 18:4-22). Reawaken us and restore us to our calling to be salt and light in the midst of this world, no longer content and complacent to lose our saltiness by compromise and confusion with the ways of this world and no longer allowing our lights to grow dim under the veil of its darkness and deception (Matthew 5:13-16). Instead of turning to the spirit of this world for our salvation and success, our sense of pleasure and purpose, let us again turn our hearts to You alone. Let us be found faithful and fulfilled in You, embracing Your authority and Your ways for our lives. Then we will celebrate with heaven in the victory of Your Kingdom over the kingdoms of this world: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for His judgments are true and just; He has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants” (Revelation 19:1-2). As we proclaim the victory of Your Kingdom in our hearts by Your grace now, we will be able to proclaim the victory of Your Kingdom by Your grace forever, shouting with heaven, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for our 4 Day Intensive School of Spiritual Ministry I will be leading here in Lexington, teaching along with Dan Van Nice and Lisa Preston. By the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, we will be equipping and empowering spiritual leaders in the ministry of healing and deliverance to prepare the Bride of Christ and prepare the way of the Lord. DVD's of our teaching on Level 1 and Level 2 of our Schools, along with Powerpoint Outline presentations are available for order for personal or group study if you're not able to come but may be called to this area of ministry or interested in learning more. This follows the teaching in my book Free to Be Like Jesus--Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

O Happy Day! 4-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your mercies are new every morning. And every morning, I need Your new mercies. Your steadfast love and tender mercies endure forever; and You make them real to me morning by morning, one day at a time. … “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her, she delivered a son. Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the One who delivers shut the womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her …” (Isaiah 68:7-10). Like Zion, there are prophetic words spoken into my spirit that I have not yet seen come to pass. Like Israel, there are days that seem more like merely existing in exile and aimlessly wandering in the wilderness rather than entering into the promise land in possession of my inheritance. Like Jerusalem, there are seasons that seem like the mourning shall last for a lifetime instead of the nighttime and the joy that comes with the morning never quite seems to come. There are times when I wonder if it’s worth it, when I question Your wisdom, when I’m frustrated with Your timing, and disappointed with what seems like Your delay, longing to know whether the promises of hope and destiny of tomorrow You’ve sown by Your words like seed in my spirit will ever come. But the truth is, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but (Your) words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). Every word of Your Word will be fulfilled in Your timing, in Your way, for Your purposes. “Scripture cannot be broken;” all will come to pass (John 10:35, KJV). Your word that go forth from Your mouth shall not return to You void but will always accomplish that which You purpose and that for which You send it (Isaiah 55:11). So I will choose to trust Your words in every way You’ve spoken them and sown them into my spirit. Like Mary, I will ponder them in my heart until the day I see them come to pass (Luke 2:19). When I’m tempted to give up or turn back or let go, I will remember Your faithfulness and Your promises, encouraged by the understanding and revelation “that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). You are always at work aligning my relationships, preparing me for Your purposes, and ordering my steps to fulfill my destiny in Your Kingdom in so many ways I cannot always see and do not always understand. In these ways, “(You are) not slow about (Your) promises” and “while (I am) waiting for these things, (I will) strive to be found by (You) at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:8-15). As I hold on to Your words by grace in faith, I am “waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12). All that You have conceived in Your heart for my life and planted in my spirit will be birthed at just the right time—in Your perfect time. So this day, even before that day has come, I will rejoice and be glad. By the mercy of Your grace and the certainty of Your Word and Your love, I will choose to thank You now by faith for what You will surely bring to pass on that day to come. It “will come to pass; it will be done for (me)” just as You have said (Mark 11:22-24). Like Nanny used to say, “O happy day!” And when that day finally comes, O what a day of rejoicing that will be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Confirmation and Commitment of Surrender 4-26-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Good Shepherd and I listen now for the leading of Your voice and stirring of my spirit. … “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Sunday morning at my home church, many of young people stood with their families at the front to publicly proclaim You as their Lord in their personal confirmation of their faith. With the symbol of water, for the washing away of their sins and the resurrection into newness of life, some were baptized and others remembered their baptism. With the symbol of oil, all were anointed for the filling of the Holy Spirit as a mark and seal of Your hand of grace upon their lives. In words of faith, they declared their loyalty to You as Savior and Lord of their days to come. And in our response, we declared our loyalty to You and our commitment to them to walk with them in the journey of growing up into maturity, into the full measure of the stature of Christ. I was honored and humbled to have been one of their teachers, as they learned the foundations of our faith and the nature of their commitment to a life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. There’s’ “no greater joy” than seeing our children of the faith walking in the truth of God’s love in Christ (3 John 4). And every day, I’m honored and humbled that You keep teaching me Your lessons and establishing me in Your foundations of my faith in You. Maybe the deepest foundation and greatest lesson is continuing to acknowledge and declare that our lives are no longer our own. From the moment of our choice to entrust our lives to Your care and welcome Your Spirit into our hearts, we were bought with a price by the blood of the Lamb. Our lives are Yours and no longer our own. Our declaration to You, to ourselves, and to all the world is that we now choose to live our lives to God, crucified with Christ, so that it is not longer we who live, but Christ who now lives in us and through us for the glory of God (Galatians 3:19-20). Lord, empower me by Your grace to live out my confirmation and commitment of surrender of my life into Your life each day. Forgive me when I fail; pick me up when I stumble; cleanse me when I sin; and remind me when I forget. My life is no longer my own; my life belongs to You. That’s not a bad thing of bondage; that’s a great thing of freedom, because only then am I truly free to be all You created me to be. Only then will I be fulfilled in the life You’ve purposed in Your heart for me to live. Only then will I bring You the great joy You’ve paid such a great price for us both to have. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!