Even if it Costs Our Lives 9-22-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait upon You, align me with Your will and empower me for Your purposes. … “The the Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the priest and said to them, ‘Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’ But they conspired against him, and by command of the king, they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). Zechariah was brave and bold, faithful to the Word of God and obedient to the Spirit of God. He didn’t hold back from speaking the words that burned in his heart and burdened his soul, as Your Holy Spirit took possession of his human spirit. But he was speaking the truth to the leaders of his nation who had turned their backs on God and turned to worship the idols they had created with their own hands for their own purposes. And there were suffering the consequences for their actions that affected all the people of their land (v. 24:18). Yet even then, You kept sending Your prophets and sending Your word to turn their hearts back to You, so that they could enter again into the place of Your blessings and fulfill Your purposes for their nation. But “they would not listen” (v. 24:19). And Zehcariah’s political incorrectness and spiritual independence in faithful obedience they would not abide. So they stoned him to death to silence his voice. They did the same to Stephen (Acts 7:59). They did the same to Paul (Acts 14:19). And they’ll do the same to the two witnesses of God at the end of this age who will boldly proclaim the truth in the face of the unrighteous government that will rule the nations of the earth (Revelation 11:7). They did the same to Your faithful witnesses just as they did the same to You, mocking the words of Your truth and nailing Your hands to the cross. The pride of man cannot abide the Word of God and the rulers of this world cannot bear to bow their knees to the will of God. Yet You keep loving us enough to keep sending Your Spirit and sending Your Word. You love us enough to keep allowing us to suffer the consequences of our actions to lead us to humble our hearts and bow our knees and trust in Your ways. You want us to prosper and fulfill our purpose for our generation. So whether we’re the ones You’ve sent to speak or whether we’re the ones You’ve called to hear, let us turn away from the idols of our own creation and turn our hearts back to You. Let us be brave and bold to speak the truth of Your Word and live in the power of Your Spirit—even if it costs us our lives. As You said long ago in warning every generation of the high cost of our discipleship in the face of whatever persecutions many come: “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciples to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household?” (Matthew 10:24-25) So let us not fear, but let us be found faithful to You, our teacher and master, in all the power of Your grace You’ll be faithful to supply. Let us be bold and brave to keep bowing our knees and lifting our hearts to You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and 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 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 Lamp of the Lord” 9-21-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings, Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of my life. Come rule and reign in me today. … “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, searching every inmost part” (Proverbs 20:27). Lord, let my human spirit be in communion with Your Holy Spirit. Let the light of the glory of Your manifest Presence burn within me like a lamp. Let deep call unto deep, as my spirit calls unto Your Spirit (Psalm 42:8). Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Search my inmost parts to reveal everything in me that is not yet like You, and give me the courage and humility to entrust that part and every part of my life to Your care. Make me one with Your will and one with Your way, as You alone become Lord of all of my life. Stir in my heart to be united with Your heart, for “anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). I confess I have far to go. “There is no one who is righteous, not even one.… since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10-33). But I also declare that it is my heart’s desire to get there—all by Your grace, all in Your time, all in Your way—because I’ve come to trust You to know best for my life. So in these first moments of my morning, let Your Holy Spirit come ignite the lamp of my heart to burn with Your light throughout my day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and 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 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!

Day of Atonement, Lifetime of Mercy 9-20-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Steady my thoughts on Your name and center my spirit in Your Presence. … “This shall be a statute to you forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. For on this day of atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:29-30). Saturday was the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Under the Law of Moses it’s was the day that all sins were washed away in a day of national repentance, as the people humbled themselves before God and the high priest offered sacrifice for his sins and the sins of all the people. And that solemn day would lead into the days of the Feast of Tabernacles at the time of the harvest to begin five days later (v. 23:34). Their mourning be turned to dancing, their fasting turned to feasting. There’s something in the human soul that knows our sin against the will of God and knows our need for forgiveness by the mercy of God. And under the Old Covenant, with its precise rituals and ordinances to be followed to perfection, You made provision for the fulfillment of our human need for divine mercy through the sacrifice of the blood of a pure, spotless, and blameless animal by the high priest in the holiest place on the holiest day. And every Day of Atonement pointed to the Day of Your Atonement—the day You were both the high priest and the holy sacrifice. All the law of Moses, all the prophetic promises, all the physical rituals that speak of the spiritual realities were fulfilled in You (Luke 24:44). You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Just after Your death at the cross on the Day of Atonement, in perfect fulfillment of every law of the Old Covenant that none could ever satisfy by human works or human righteousness, the holy place of sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Just as You had prophesied, no stone was left upon another and no sacrifice has been offered by the high priest in that holy place since the year 70 AD to the present. There is no longer a need for the sacrifice of the blood of animals. Messiah has come, fulfilling the prophecies the One who would willingly suffer the penalty of our sins, once for all (Isaiah 53:4-12). You are our high priest; You are our perfect sacrifice—for Jew, for Gentile, for all (1 Peter 3:18). And as we humble ourselves before God to acknowledge our sin and our need for our Savior has who forever made our sacrifice, You continue to fulfill Your Word of Your Covenant, from the days of the generation of Moses through the generations of today that “from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord” (Leviticus 16:30). “If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In Christ Jesus, our Messiah, Savior, and Lord, every day we entrust our lives to Your love, embracing the mercy of Your sacrifice, is our Day of Atonement. With clean hands and pure hearts, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, You turn our mourning into dancing and our fasting into feasting in the joy of our forgiveness and send us into Your harvest. Thank You, God, for all the fasts and feasts of Your Covenant, fulfilled in Christ for all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and 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 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!

Spiritual Leadership 9-17-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me be rooted and grounded in Your Word, as You awaken and invigorate me by Your Holy Spirit to send me forth into my day. … “So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’” (Mark 10:42-45). I’m so excited and humbled to have a chance to share in the ministry of spiritual formation with a few of Your spiritual leaders at the coaches retreat for Spiritual Leadership, Inc. this week in Lexington. These are some of those You have called from diverse walks of life to be used by Your Spirit in this ministry to discover, develop, and deploy passionate spiritual leaders and their teams, creating fertile environments for powerful change in their own lives and in the lives of those around them. These are some of those You’ve given the bold faith to believe they can be aligned and empowered, equipped and deployed, to be part of Your plan to “turn the whole world upside down” (Acts 17:6). And these are some of those You’ve given the humility to know that the greatest of all must be the servant of all, that we can be Your leaders only to the extent we are Your disciples. We’re to lead others to where we’re going. And where we’re going is to the place of fully entrusting ourselves to be fully conformed to the image of the Son of God. We’re going to the place of abiding in Your Presence, encountering Your power, and embracing Your covenant with us and with one another in honest relationship, as we are loving, learning, and leading together. So day by day in this life-long journey, help us keep coming to the end of ourselves so we and be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Lead us as we lead others to be fully surrendered, fully available, and fully committed to living our lives for You. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). Lord, as best as we can and all by Your grace, let us become that kind of spiritual leaders. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer today as we finish up our Coaches Leadership Retreat with Spiritual Leadership, Inc. at their home base in Lexington, Kentucky www.spiritual-leadership.org I'm part of their Prayer Mobilization Team and serve alongside them in special assignments. Please pray for God's guidance in our growing relationship between our ministries. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Sept 17th 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. Jeff Centers will be leading in worship and I'll be leading in prayer this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Friends, please be keeping Messiah Ministries in prayer for financial breakthrough as we seek to be faithful to keep pressing on, never shrinking back, from the calling and vision we believe the Lord is stirring in our hearts. Thank you for all the ways you encourage us, support us, and move forward with us. 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 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!

Who We Are and Whose We Are 9-16-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. All that I am and all that I have belong to You. Be at the center of all I say and do today. … “ ‘Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them, ‘Why are you putting Me to the test? Bring Me a denarius and let Me see it.’ And they brought one. Then He said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s , and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at Him” (Mark 12:14-17). As the Son of Man, You were a man of God. In every thought, word, and action, You were teaching us what it means to live a life for God in the midst of a world that doesn’t. You were teaching us how to be in the world, but not of the world. You were teaching us when to go along to get along without being carried along with the ways of the world instead of the ways of God. And everyone around You was utterly amazed at Your wisdom and integrity, as You did what You said and lived what You preached with such authority and grace. And one of the principles You taught with Your life was that we must always remember who we are and Whose we are. Are we owned by the government or are we owned by God? Are we to be controlled by the law of sin and death and taxes or by the law of the Spirit that sets us free to be Your salt and light in the midst of the laws of the world around us? We can’t live a life that honors You unless we remember every day that all we are and all we have belongs to You. “For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God” (1 Corinthians 7:22-24). Help me, Lord. I need Your wisdom and strength. As I rise and go out into my day in this world that so much of the time either doesn’t know You or is in active rebellion against You, remind me who I am and Whose I am. Fill me now with the light of Your Spirit so I can carry Your light wherever I go. Remind me that darkness cannot overcome the light, but that light always overcomes the darkness. Keep overcoming the darkness within me—in my ways of thinking, speaking, and acting—so that You can overcome the darkness through me wherever You send me in my world today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Sept 17th 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. Jeff Centers will be leading in worship and I'll be leading in prayer this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Friends, please be keeping Messiah Ministries in prayer for financial breakthrough as we seek to be faithful to keep pressing on, never shrinking back, from the calling and vision we believe the Lord is stirring in our hearts. Thank you for all the ways you encourage us, support us, and move forward with us. 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 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!

“Show Me the Path of Life” 9-15-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Break into my day like the sun’s morning rays breaking through the dawn. … “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.’ … The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot…. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved…. You show me the path of life. In Your Presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:2-11). My ministry leadership team and I have spent a couple of days at the cabin at the lake to seek Your face, hear Your voice, and follow Your vision for the ministry You’ve entrusted to us. It’s so good to spend some time away with You and with one another, for You to continue to align our hearts and minds with Yours. But in these focused times worship, silence, prayer, and conversation, You move through our words and thoughts to show us the path of life for our calling and vision. It’s exciting to remember so many of the things You’ve done and lives You’ve changed, including each of our own. It’s inspiring to remember the challenges of the past year, only to see Your faithful right hand guide us through every step. And it’s thrilling to think of all that lays ahead as we seek together to enter into the promises You’ve set before us. You’ve been extending our territory, lengthening our stakes, and strengthening our bonds. You’ve used every challenge to teach us to trust You more, giving us courage to risk making mistakes as we do our best, all by Your grace, to follow the path we believe You’ve set before us. Thank You for Your encouragement and confirmation when it seems we’ve heard well and advanced far. Thank You for Your mercy and redemption when it seems we’ve heard wrong and miss-stepped. But You know our heart to seek You and follow You, and You’ve been so faithful and good, steadfast in the love of Your Presence to be with us through it all. So You keep setting our boundary lines of our present and keep lifting our eyes to the horizon of our tomorrow. Surely You’ve set them in pleasant places. They most surely will not always be easy places, painless places because the struggles and challenges are just part of the adventure to teach us desperate dependence upon You alone in our journey to become all You’ve created us and called us to be. But there will be plenty of joy in the journey, as we live and love and laugh all along the way. We have no good apart from You and we praise God we never have to be apart from You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for every way you encourage us, pray for us, and support us to seek and follow the will of God in the of life He has for me and Messiah Ministries. We are "preparing the way of the Lord ... ministering the healing love of God" to the glory of the Father, in the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. And we couldn't do it without God and without you! God bless you! For those who would like to be part of our interactive intercessory prayer team, please send me a note and I'll get you connected with our team. MessiahMin@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 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!

A Moment of Silence and A Time to Speak 9-11-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I willing bow my knees and gratefully entrust my heart to You. I love You because You first loved me and gave Your life for me that I might live for You. … “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: … a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). On this day, this September day all the world now knows as 9-11, many will take a moment of silence to remember all the voices who were silenced and all the lives that were sacrificed in the moments of horrific cruelty, hatred, and terror of that day not that long ago. We’re silent for a moment because we can still hardly believe the astonishing fact that such a thing could happen, that the hearts and homes of our land could be violated in such violence and hatred. And we’re silent for a moment as our minds and our spirits still try to grasp the hideous glee of the demented murderers who shouted praises to a false god as faithful followers of a cruel and radical religion demanding the submission of all the world to their law and their lord. But how long will we remain silent, O Lord? Who will speak for those whose lives were lost? Who will speak for those who lost their lives that day in the rubble that some proclaim to be a monument of victory? And who will speak for those who lost their lives that day when their mother or father or husband or wife or best friend or next door neighbor never came home? We are not to be silent in speaking our grief. Nor are we to be silent in speaking our forgiveness as You bring us to that place of letting go of what was done in the past so that we can embrace our call to speak up and speak out for Your truth with our freedom in the present. Let us speak with a voice that’s first humbled in prayer, courageous in faith, tempered with truth, and bold in the fierce love of our faithful God. Let us speak as one in the unity of Your Spirit and the authority of Your name because we’ve bowed our knees to listen for Your voice so we can awaken and arise to speak with one voice a clear and distinct call to stand firm in the strength of our faith. If we fear and if we fail to speak with the voice of the freedom You’ve given us in our generation, established for us by the generations before us, then the generations after us may no longer have their freedom to speak their voice anymore. Let us not be silent, for You, O Lord, are not silent in the face of these fears and threats of forced submission through violence and terror. “Our God comes and does not keep silent, before Him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around Him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that He may judge His people: ‘Gather to Me My faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice!’ The heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge” (Psalm 50:3-6). Lord Jesus, teach us how to have Your nature and speak with Your voice by Your Holy Spirit in our world. You are both the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and You are also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. You are the One who was led to slaughter who opened not Your mouth, and You are One who will return in the skies with fire in Your eyes and sword in Your mouth. Teach us how to wise and innocent, how to be faithful and forgiving, how to be silent when we should and how to speak up when we should. Let our lives honor You in all things. Let out silence be deafening because we’re waiting for Your leading. And then let our voice be heard because it’s Your voice speaking through us. 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 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!

Hosanna in the Highest, Christ is Among Us 9-10-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in my heart and my mind and in every moment of my day. … “The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He cured them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the amazing things He did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they became angry and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself?’” (Matthew 21:14-16). Those steeped in the words and laws of religion could not rejoice at Your compassion for Your people and the healing power of Your love. They were jealous and they were angry. They were offended and they were mean. They rejected You and hardened their hearts against You. Then they plotted ways to discredit You and destroy You. All their teaching and doctrines had tainted their minds and blinded their eyes from recognizing the very One they said they were teaching about. All their rules and rituals had hardened their hearts into a religion that was void of the compassion and love that flows from a personal relationship with God. But not the children. Not those with the child-like faith of the Kingdom of God. They saw the blind see; they saw the lame walk; they sensed the love and power of the Presence of God. And they rejoiced! They shouted Your praises at the top of their lungs. They were excited and they were happy. They were thrilled that the God who created heaven and earth had humbled Himself to live and move among His creation with such healing and freedom and joy in the power of His love. They may not have yet realized that You were fulfilling every Messianic prophecy that the priests and scribes had read and taught but couldn’t embrace. They may not have yet understood that You were Emmanuel, God with us, the Word made Flesh (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; John 1:14). But they had faith to believe with their hearts what they could see with their eyes. They saw the Messiah, the Living Christ, moving in power among the people and moving in love within their hearts. They couldn’t help but declare with their mouths what they knew by faith in their hearts: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9) Move in my heart today, Lord Jesus. Stir up my child-like faith, the faith it takes to truly enter into the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:15). You are the Messiah, the Living Christ. You are God with us, Immanuel. You’re still moving among us in the power of Your Holy Spirit, healing the blind and the lame, the discouraged and depressed, setting the captives free, and restoring unto us the joy of our salvation. Let me shout out Your praises at the top of my lungs by living my life today as a vessel of Your love in the power of Your Spirit as You move among Your people through Your Body of Christ in the earth (1 Corinthians 12:12). With the Spirit of Christ in us, we are blessed to be sent forth by You in the name of the Lord (Colossians 1:27). Hosanna in the highest! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, come join us if you can This Sunday Night, 6:00 pm at Georgetown First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, Kentucky where I'll be leading a healing and forgiveness service with my great friend Pastor Greg Gallaher. All are welcome! The Church is at 1280 Lexington Rd. Friends, please keep us in prayer this week for our four day intensive School of Spiritual Ministry that I'll be leading in Lexington. The Presence of the glory of the Lord with us has been unusually deep already and a couple of our students already experienced a physical healing as the Lord ministers His teaching and impartation in the power of His love. Please let me know if you'd be interested in coming to our Level I or Level II School sometime at various times throughout the year. For those who can't come, you can order the dvd's from our past schools and I'll be glad to send along the powerpoint presentation of the teaching to help equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11). MessiahMin@aol.com or www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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 Name of Jesus” 9-9-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the first word I speak this morning. It’s my prayer and it’s my declaration that I entrust myself and my day to You. … “Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus…. When Your name is spoken, the spiritual atmosphere immediately changes. Knees bow. Tongues speak. In both the heavenly realm and the earthly realm Your name is know, Your name is powerful, and Your name is exalted. God the Father is glorified when the name of God the Son is spoken as God the Holy Spirit lifts our eyes, open our hearts, and bows our knees before the One who is worthy of all honor and glory and praise. Jesus, Your name is above every name. Your nature is above every nature. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. And You desire me to be one with You—to identify with Your name and to grow into Your nature. “Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). You desire to conform me into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29). You desire Your nature to become my nature, that I might have “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5); have “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9); and have my place in “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). So as I speak Your name and seek Your nature, I bow my knees and open my heart. I declare with my mouth that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11). To be Lord is to be in charge, to be in control, to be in the place of leadership and authority in my life. And I trust Your Lordship over me because I trust Your love toward me. You loved me so much that You set aside the glory of heaven to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood to endure the penalty and shame for all my sins that I could embrace the intimacy and eternity of Your love for me forever (Philippians 2:6-8). Your name is worthy to be praised and You are worthy to be my Lord. 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 four day intensive School of Spiritual Ministry that I'll be leading in Lexington. The Presence of the glory of the Lord with us has been unusually deep already and a couple of our students already experienced a physical healing as the Lord ministers His teaching and impartation in the power of His love. Please let me know if you'd be interested in coming to our Level I or Level II School sometime at various times throughout the year. For those who can't come, you can order the dvd's from our past schools and I'll be glad to send along the powerpoint presentation of the teaching to help equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11). MessiahMin@aol.com or www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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 and See and Follow Me” 9-8-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth. Be Lord of my day and all of my life. … “When Jesus turned and saw them following, He said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to Him, Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see’ (John 1:38-39). The first command to Your first disciples according the Gospel John was an invitation to “Come and see.” Some would argue that a command cannot be an invitation—it’s either a command or it’s an invitation; you either command someone to do something under submission to your authority and power or you invite someone to do something where they have the choice to accept your invitation or decline. You are a God who is sovereign in Your authority and power; and ultimately, all creation is in submission to Your will. Yet at the same time, You are a God who is love; and You created us for a relationship of love. And a true relationship of love necessarily requires the freedom to love You or not, to accept Your love or not, to trust You or not, to obey You or not. True love requires freedom or it’s not truly love, just as true worship requires freedom or it’s not truly worship, and true obedience requires freedom or it’s not truly obedience. So in that sense, Your commands for us out of Your love for us always leave room for the choice to trust and obey Your sovereign will or not. No question, there are consequences, even eternal consequences, for our choices; but our freedom to choose is as real as Your authority to command (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:14; John 3:16). You’ve given us Your Spirit so we can freely choose to come and see, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). “For freedom Christ has set us free…. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Galatians 5:1-14). Free in Christ, You call us and invite us to come and obey Your command to love, to come and see how to love as we come and see Your example of a life of love. Today, by the grace of God and the freedom in Christ You’ve given me, I freely choose to obey Your command to “come and see.” Not all who are called ever come. Not all who come ever see. But I want to come and I want to see. Keep opening the ears of my spirit to hear Your call; keep opening the eyes of my heart to see Your love. That’s what it means when we willing choose to accept Your invitation to obey Your second command as well, recorded in the Gospel of John: “Follow Me” (John 1:43). So as You lead in Your love today, I will hear and answer Your call to “come and see and follow Me” throughout this day and all of my life, as best as I can and all by Your grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer this week as we begin our four day intensive School of Spiritual Ministry that I'll be leading in Lexington. Please let me know if you'd be interested in coming to our Level I or Level II School sometime at various times throughout the year. For those who can't come, you can order the dvd's from our past schools and I'll be glad to send along the powerpoint presentation of my teaching to help equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11). MessiahMin@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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!

“What are You Looking For?” 9-7-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me from my sins by Your blood; purify my soul by Your fire; fill me with Your life by Your Spirit. … “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, He said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ ” (John 1:35-38). Your first words to Your first disciples of that first generation in the Gospel of John were in the form of a question to those who chose to rise and follow You: “What are you looking for?” And it seems that’s still Your question to those who would choose to come and follow You in every generation: “What are you looking for?” The question causes us to stop and think. It causes us to take a look deep inside our hearts and our minds, to look at our future in the light of our present, to look at what we want in the light of what we don’t have. To be looking for something means I don’t have something—something I need, or at least something I think I want. And Your question also makes us want to ask, “How did You know I was looking for something? How did You know there was something I think I need that I don’t yet have?” You know because You created us that way. You created us to innately, instinctively know deep down in the depths of our being that we were created by You and for You, that all things of this world are empty without You, because all the things of this world are ultimately centered around You. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17). By the grace You’ve given me to choose to rise and follow You this day, I ask You, Lord, “What am I looking for?” … And it seems I hear You say, “You’re looking for Me, My son. I Am your Father and your Best Friend. I Am your Forgiver, your Refining Fire, your Comforter and Healer and Deliverer. I Am everything you’re looking for, and I Am everything you need. I Am not merely I was and I Am not merely I will be; I Am That I Am. And I Am your All in All. Seek Me as you rise up, and seek Me as you go to bed; seek Me throughout the moments of your day. Seek Me and you will find Me. I Am the One you’re looking for.” Yes, Lord. Give me eyes to see You in Your creation. Give me eyes to see You in those You’ve created—the broken and the bound, the weary and the wounded, the ones filled with joy and the ones filled with sorrow, the ones who know You well and the ones who don’t yet know that You’re the One they’re looking for. Remind me that what I do to “the least of these,” I do to You (Matthew 25:40). Let me never stop looking for You. Let me never forget You’re the One I’m looking for. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please come join us if you can and spread the word to anyone who may be interested: September 8-11, 2010 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I with Messiah Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky Join us for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers at Messiah Ministries. Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in equipping for prayer ministry and moving forward in their spiritual gifts. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“Supply and Multiply” 9-3-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Mighty and powerful, just and true, You are my King and I worship You. … “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God…. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:10-15). Thank You for all the seed You’ve supplied to me. It’s not seed like sunflower seeds—for me to take it for myself to savor in my mouth until I spit out what I don’t want and keep what I do. It’s not seed for me at all. It’s more like tomato seeds. I enjoy the fruit and then sow the seeds from that fruit to produce a harvest of even more fruit. And in the ways of Your Spirit, You supply my seed as You supply the fruit of all I need. You want me to enjoy the fruit of what You’ve given me, but then You want me to take my seed and sow it for the multiplied increase of fruit for Your harvest of righteousness in the earth. You supply and multiply Your seed to Your people for Your—not our selfishness, sinfulness, and self-centeredness, but for Your righteousness, as You redeem and restore all things in the right order of right relationship with You and one another in the earth. You’ve given me the incredible fruit of the Kingdom of God through Your relationship with me in Christ—“righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). You’ve given me provision of money and resources for all my needs. You’ve given me protection and shelter from the enemy of my soul and the harsh elements and storms that come with life in a broken, fallen world. You’ve given me wisdom to walk in the ways of the Lord, whether I’ve learned it from trusting Your Word or learned it when I didn’t and found out the hard way just how right and true Your Word really is. From the beginning, Satan’s been there offering to me his fruit of sin, but You’ve been there offering Your fruit of righteousness. And whichever fruit I choose to eat, seed is supplied and then multiplied as I sow into this earth and into the lives of others. Whether good seed or bad seed, it’s seed that will be sown and produce a harvest. Lord, forgive me when I’ve taken the wrong fruit and then sown the wrong seed. Forgive me when I’ve take Your fruit and enjoyed it for myself and then failed to sow the seed into Your earth and Your people for Your purposes to produce a harvest of Your righteousness in my generation and in those to come. Lord, teach me to receive Your gifts of grace gratefully and cheerfully. And also give me Your Spirit of “a cheerful giver” that You love to bless so I can be Your blessing to others (2 Corinthians 9:7). “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (v. 9:6-8). Lord, show me today the “good work” You are doing in the earth where You want me to sow cheerfully and bountifully with the seed You’ve supplied in my life. Then multiply it for the glory of Your name and the harvest of Your righteousness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Please come join us if you can and spread the word to anyone who may be interested: September 8-11, 2010 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I with Messiah Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky Join us for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers at Messiah Ministries. Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in equipping for prayer ministry and moving forward in their spiritual gifts. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Mystery of Faith Working through Love 9-2-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Lord and my God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—be high and lifted up in my heart and my thoughts, now at the beginning and throughout the moments of my day. … “If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:15-16). Lord Jesus, You are the mystery of our religion. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit in the oneness and unity of the three Persons of God, eternally bound together and expressing Yourself as God who is Love (1 John 4:8). And out of Your love, You created us for relationship and provided for us a means of intimacy and eternity with You in that relationship, despite everything in us that’s not yet like You (John 3:16). You’ve created us in Your nature to live in Your nature with You and with one another, proclaiming Your nature with our lives throughout the world. This is what it is to be Your children, Your disciples, Your body, the household and church of the living God, living our faith in You. This is the pillar and bulwark of truth. “For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness…. The only thing that counts is faith working through love” (Galatians 5:5-6). In the mystery of our faith and all by Your grace, help me love well today. When I speak the truth, let me speak it in love. When I serve others as the hands and feet of the body of Christ, let me serve in love. Even when I’m called to confront evil and injustice, whether in the spirit or in the flesh, let me confront it from the place of love. Remind me every day that my true battle is not against human flesh and blood; my true battle is against the spiritual forces of wickedness in this present darkness who oppose and oppress the children of God from knowing and living their identity and destiny in the intimate knowledge of the love of God (Ephesians 6:12). Remind me every day that You are the heart of my faith, that You are love, and that living my faith means loving You and loving others however Your Spirit may lead. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us this way: God sent His only Son into this world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:7-12). One day, You were taken up in glory from Your season of life in the flesh on this earth; and one day, You will return in glory in the same way (Acts 1:9-11). But every day in between those days, You want to live in glory through each of us by the Spirit of Your love. We are to live out this great mystery of our faith working through the power of Your love throughout all the earth. In this way, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Habakkuk 2:14). In this way, the earth is to be filled with the love of the God who is love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, thank you for joining with me in this journey of growing in God's faith and love through the challenges we face and the opportunities we have every day. I love you and I thank you for loving me, as we love God together and allow Him to express His love through our lives in the way His Holy Spirit leads every day. Thank you for every way you have expressed your encouragement, support, and love to me and our ministry in so many ways. May God be glorified in our lives and throughout the earth. I pray that for you this day and every day in Jesus' name. God bless you! Please come join us if you can and spread the word to anyone who may be interested: September 8-11, 2010 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I with Messiah Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky Join us for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers at Messiah Ministries. Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in equipping for prayer ministry and moving forward in their spiritual gifts. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Fulfill Your Purpose 9-1-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your thoughts within my thoughts, Your desires within my desires, Your nature within my nature. I yield to You to be filled with You. … “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; You stretch out Your hand, and Your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands” (Psalm 138:7-8). I am the work of Your hands. You are at work in me through even the wrath of my enemies, through even the challenges of my faith, through even the temptations of my flesh. You are at work causing all things to work together for my good and for Your purposes (Romans 8:28). Morning by morning, day by day, You are fulfilling Your purpose for me. Whether in trouble or triumph, in pain or pleasure, in desperation or declaration, You are with me. You never leave me nor forsake me. Your steadfast love, Your unwavering gaze, Your constant strength endure forever. Stretch out Your hand, Your mighty right hand, on my behalf today. Command my enemies to flee before me. Let God arise and our enemies be scattered. Arise within me as I arise within You; abide within me as I abide within You (John 15:4). Stretch out Your hand through my hand; speak forth Your word through my words; send forth Your love through my love in every way You lead through my life today. Make me one with You—one in the Spirit, one in the Lord, one in the fulfillment of Your purpose in me and through me today (John 17:21). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays September 8-11, 2010 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I with Messiah Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky Join us for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers at Messiah Ministries. Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in equipping for prayer ministry and moving forward in their spiritual gifts. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“Above Everything” 8-31-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. Together we rise to encounter the adventures of this new day. … “I give You thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness; for You have exalted Your name and Your word above everything. On the day I called You answered me, You increased my strength of soul” (Psalm 138:1-3). Your name and Your word are exalted above everything. Your name is Your nature and Your word is Your will. Your name is holy and good; Your will is faithful and true. And as I call on Your name, You send forth Your word. As I sing praises to Your name, You establish Your word in my soul. As I bow down low before You in humility and trust, You lift me up high in Your faithfulness and love. As I lift my eyes up to the hills from where my help comes from, You lift my spirit and strengthen my soul. My worries and fears fall away to the ground, as I rise into the heavenly place of Your Presence. As I give You thanks with my whole heart, there’s nothing left in all my heart for any worry or fear. The moment I look up to Your face, You peer into my soul with Your searing love. The moment I call upon Your name, You answer me. The moment I put all my hope and faith in You, I no longer have to put my hope and faith in anything else. Those gods are no God at all. In You alone do I trust. You alone are worthy of my worship and praise. You alone have earned my faith and my trust with my whole heart. So I give You thanks, O God. You are above everything; therefore, I will allow nothing in my life to be exalted above You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays September 8-11, 2010 -- The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I with Messiah Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky Join us for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers at Messiah Ministries. Scholarships are available as needed so all can attend. Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested in equipping for prayer ministry and moving forward in their spiritual gifts. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: Contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Empty or Full, I will Rejoice 8-30-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I offer You the first fruits of my first thoughts this new day. You deserve my first; You deserve my best; You deserve my all. … “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19). You are good You are God You are my God who’s good to me Whether I’m in need Whether I am full You are my God who’s good to me So I will praise You So I will raise my eyes to You Because I trust You Because I know You And no matter where You’ll always be there Ready to see me through Yes, Lord. Thank You for stirring this song and prayer of hope and faith in my spirit this morning. You’re always at work in all the circumstances of my life, drawing me closer to You, helping me trust more deeply in You. There are times when the fields and folds are empty and bare, just like there are times when they overflow in abundance in one area of my life or another. That’s all part of how You teach me to trust You through it all. I don’t have to rejoice for whatever happens or whatever I go through, but I can rejoice that You are with me through it all, using it all, to make me into the man You’ve created me to be. “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5). By the power of Your grace and the daily filling of Your Spirit in my heart with Your love, I will rejoice and be glad that You are producing Your nature in my life because I am Your son. This is my faith that will not fail me; this is my hope that will not disappoint me. Whether the fields and folds are empty or full, I will rejoice and be glad in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, I pray for you in whatever season or cycle you are going through now, knowing our God will bring you through in the way He will provide for you and produce within you His nature to display His glory through your life. Please pray the same for me. And I would welcome you to prayerfully consider this invitation to join with us in encouragement and support of our ministry at this critical time if the Lord stirs you with joy to give to work of His Kingdom through the vision and calling He's entrusted to us: Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert "For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert" --Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, 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. Summers are always a challenging time for our ministry's financial support. 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 at least $35 a month to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will continue to provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. Actually an even smaller amount from a broad enough base of our supporters can more than provide for all our needs without undue concern or focus on finances instead of freedom to focus on ministry. 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. 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. You may also know of someone or a group who could easily and joyfully join with us so we don't have to be overly concerned about our monthly provision of financial support. 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 -- "... 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 Founder, Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 (All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, and greatly appreciated) You can contribute: 1) On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org; 2) Mailing at check to Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502; 3) Contact us for automatic withdrawal or phone credit card transactions through Marilyn, our Director of Ministries at 859-317-1591 or to me at MessiahMin@aol.com ; or 4) Giving on-line through Kentucky Christian Foundation at www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org with a variety of contributions including non-liquid gifts and long-term giving. I would love to talk with you about any of this and I'm thankful for your friendship, encouragement, and support of Messiah Ministries and our calling. Thank you and God bless you! Tommy Subscribe to Morning by Morning 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 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!

Our Praises Overcome Our Fears 8-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Faithful and true, worthy are You of all my heart and life. … “After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle…. Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:1-3). The “spirit of fear” is an enemy of our souls (2 Timothy 1:7). It comes to terrify and taunt, to accuse the faithfulness of God, to cause us to forget all Your promises and provision of our past, and to get us to doubt Your steadfast security for our future and hope. But we are not to give in. We are not to worry, to be anxious for nothing, but only to look and see the hand of the Lord deliver us in the Spirit of Your “power, and of love, and a sound mind” (v. 1:7, NKJV). And if the spirit of fear stirs up within us the emotion of fear, we are to “fear not” and set ourselves to seek You (Isaiah 43:1, NKJV). And as we draw near to You in the intimacy and passion of prayer, as we humble ourselves to be desperately dependent upon You in fasting, we can take our stand in faith—not faith in ourselves, but faith in You. As King Jehoshaphat declared in both deep humility and bold faith, “We are powerless against the great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). As we empty ourselves in humility and faith of our anxieties and fears, Your Holy Spirit comes upon us and rises up within us (v. 20:14). You remind us that “this battle is not (ours), but God’s” (v. 20:15). You stir us to remember to believe Your word and believe the Lord our God” (v. 20:20). So then we can “take (our) position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on (our) behalf” (v. 20:17). We are to lift our faces up from our fears and onto our God in worship, praise, thanksgiving, and faith (v. 20:18-21). As we “give thanks to (You) for (Your) steadfast love endures forever,” You ambush our enemies, “destroying them utterly” (v. 20:21-23). You are the great “I Ambush.” As we set ourselves to pray and praise, You route our fears and strengthen our faith with every victory we see. Our praises overcome our fears. We take back all the enemy of our souls has stolen from us and keep pressing in and pressing on, as Your Kingdom advances within us and advances through us (v. 20:24:26). Then we can “rejoice over (our) enemies” in the joy of the Lord who is faithful and true to always bring us through as we rest in You (v. 20:27-30). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy My friend, I would welcome you to prayerfully consider this invitation to join with us in encouragement and support of our ministry at this critical time if the Lord stirs you with joy to give to work of His Kingdom through the vision and calling He's entrusted to us: Isaiah 35 Streams in the Desert "For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert" --Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, 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. Summers are always a challenging time for our ministry's financial support. 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 at least $35 a month to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will continue to provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. Actually an even smaller amount from a broad enough base of our supporters can more than provide for all our needs without undue concern or focus on finances instead of freedom to focus on ministry. 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. 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. You may also know of someone or a group who could easily and joyfully join with us so we don't have to be overly concerned about our monthly provision of financial support. 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 -- "... 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 Founder, Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 (All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, and greatly appreciated) You can contribute: 1) On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org; 2) Mailing at check to Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502; 3) Contact us for automatic withdrawal or phone credit card transactions through Marilyn, our Director of Ministries at 859-317-1591 or to me at MessiahMin@aol.com ; or 4) Giving on-line through Kentucky Christian Foundation at www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org with a variety of contributions including non-liquid gifts and long-term giving. I would love to talk with you about any of this and I'm thankful for your friendship, encouragement, and support of Messiah Ministries and our calling. Thank you and God bless you! Tommy Subscribe to Morning by Morning 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 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!

Room to Grow in Peace 8-25-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. We’re in this thing together, so I’m pressing in and pressing on with You, come what may. … “Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer…. But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord…. I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety” (Psalm 4:1-8). When I’m in distress, You give me room to grow—room to grow in my faith and trust in You; room to grow in my willingness to look and see anything in me that needs to change; room to grow in my desperate dependence upon the only One who can ever really be my sense of safety, security, protection, and provision. You enlarge my heart. You increase my capacity to understand just how committed You are to my peace and joy even in the midst of whatever disturbs me or distresses me. My part is to keep my heart in right relationship with You. Your part is to take care of everything else. When I get that right, I can get out of the way of Your mighty but steady move, bringing my life into right alignment with Your order. I can lie down and sleep in peace. I can rest in the safety of Your security, not giving in to the sin of worry, for You have said, “Do not worry. Be anxious for nothing. Put Your trust in Me. Choose to depend upon Me to guide your thoughts and direct your desires as you seek Me and My will for your life. My plans for you are good plans, plans of a future with hope, that will bring great fulfillment to your life. Only trust Me.” Yes, Lord. “From ages past, no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who works for those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 64:4). As I wait for You, You are at work for me in ways I can’t fully hear or see. That’s why they call it faith. That’s why it requires hope. And I can only access the peace in my soul that You’re trying to grow in me as I put my whole trust in You. So by the grace that You give, I choose to continue to believe, “God will provide” (Genesis 22:8). You already have. And You always will. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, thank you for joining me in the journey of faith, trying to grow by God's grace into the person He's created me and called me to be, morning by morning, moment by moment, day by day. I pray the same for you, as we go forward in the journey together. God bless you! Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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 Desert Streams Invitation to Joyfully Give to Messiah Ministries

"For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert" --Isaiah 35:6 Dear Friend of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, 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. Summers are always a challenging time for our ministry's financial support. 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 at least $35 a month to the work of the Kingdom through Messiah Ministries this year. We believe the Lord has shown us this will continue to provide "a steady stream" of His provision through these desert days. Actually an even smaller amount from a broad enough base of our supporters can more than provide for all our needs without undue concern or focus on finances instead of freedom to focus on ministry. 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. 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. You may also know of someone or a group who could easily and joyfully join with us so we don't have to be overly concerned about our monthly provision of financial support. 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 -- "... 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 Founder, Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-422-1794 (All contributions, of any amount, are very welcome, tax deductible, and greatly appreciated) You can contribute: 1) On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org; 2) Mailing at check to Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40502; 3) Contact us for automatic withdrawal or phone credit card transactions through Marilyn, our Director of Ministries at 859-317-1591 or to me at MessiahMin@aol.com ; Giving on-line through Kentucky Christian Foundation at www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org with a variety of contributions including non-liquid gifts and long-term giving. I would love to talk with you about any of this and I'm thankful for your friendship, encouragement, and support of Messiah Ministries and our calling. Thank you and God bless you! Tommy

“Help Zenas the Lawyer” 8-24-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my heart and mind, as I begin my day. It’s in You, I want to live and move and have my being. … “Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos with their trip. See that they are given everything they need. For our people should not have unproductive lives. They must learn to do good by helping others who have urgent needs” (Titus 3:13-14, NLT). I’ll be sharing my story this morning with a couple of judges and several lawyers, who get together about once a month to encourage one another, pray for one another, and join with one another in their daily trip through the challenges of living their faith in the marketplace and public square of our community. Some say it’s hard and rare to be a Christian and a lawyer, like the old joke about the preacher at the lawyer’s graveside who said, “Here’s lies a good lawyer and a good man.” And someone said, “How did they get two men down in that hole?” But Your grace is sufficient for each of us to be Your salt and light wherever we are and whatever we do. You call us all to live productive lives—producing the fruit of the kingdom of God by allowing the Spirit of God to live in us and love through us in the opportunities You give us every day. And despite all the bad jokes and bad press, lawyers are strategically positioned to help others—to comfort those who are confused about their rights and their options, to speak for those who feel they have no voice, to listen to those who feel there’s no one who cares. We can misuse that place of trust with our clients and authority in our community out of selfishness and sin, building our own kingdoms instead of Yours. We all can, no matter what our position, profession, or calling. Or we can learn to do good, being available to be a vessel used by the One who alone is truly good in the lives of those You bring across our paths on our trip through each day. So we should do everything we can to help one another live right and choose well—speaking the truth in love, listening with a discerning ear, comforting with a compassionate heart, as we join in the journey together. That’s how “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). That’s how we encourage one another to do all the Lord requires of each of us: “To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with (our) God” (Micah 6:8). Lord, give us grace sufficient for each day to live right and choose well, so that “whatever (we) do, (we) do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31)—even the lawyers. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Join us September 8-11, 2010 -- Messiah Ministries' Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I Equipping for Prayer Ministry Come for a focused time of teaching, equipping, personal ministry, worship and impartation for healing prayer ministry 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. Scholarships are available as needed, as we are able, so that all can come. For more information or to Register for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry: ClickHereForMoreInfoOrToRegisterFountainSchoolLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker, DirOfMinistries@aol.com or cell 859-317-1591 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 To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org