Raging Seas and Rugged Beauty 10-5-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re my Rock in the midst of the raging sea; You’re my Eye in the middle of the ravaging storm. You’re with me in the morning, with me in the evening, with me always throughout the moments of my day. … “And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuke the winds and sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that event the winds and sea obey Him?’ (Matthew 8:23-27). We never know what each day will hold. We woke and took a walk on a sunny morning, under a cloudless sky. At mid-day we saw the winds begin to stir and the waves of the sea grow choppy and white off the coast of north Wales. But by the time we journeyed to the top of the cliffs to look down to the lighthouse at the edge of the jagged rocks rising up from the sea, we could barely stand in the gusts of wind and tempest of storm. But the high sprays of white water against the rocky cliffs only magnified the rugged beauty of this wild and untamed land. With the raging sea and winds to our faces, but with green meadows, lined with stone walls and dotted with grazing sheep to our backs, it was such a contrast of serenity and calm in the midst of a brewing storm. You’re never surprised by the changes in the weather of our emotions or the gusty storms that come blowing into our lives. And like the cliffs of the rocks, the winds and sea may rage and roar, but You’re never moved, always steadfast and secure, steady and strong. Even the winds and the sea obey Your voice and yield to Your will—yet not before they accomplish Your purpose in us. You use it all; never wasting a moment of our sufferings, a night of our fears, nor a day of our storms to remind us of our desperate need to find our peace and security in You alone. So whether we’re walking through sunny days or hunkering down in windy storms, whether we’re facing the storms of the sea or the serenity of the meadows, You’re always there with us through it all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we had a chance to share and pray with the Israel prayer group on Holyhead Island yesterday and I'll be speaking and ministering with Heather Butler at the Full Gospel Businessmen's Dinner of Angelsey tonight. And in the meantime, we're enjoying time with Bob, Heather, Pedr, and their family in this beautiful country of Wales. Thank you for your prayers for our Encounter Wales! journey through towns and villages in Wales and England this month. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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!

Volunteer Freely to Seek and Rescue 10-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Rule and reign in the heavens, on the earth, and here in my heart and life today. … “Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day You lead Your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew Your youth will come to You” (Psalm 110:3). These are the coming days of Your great power on the earth. You are preparing Your people to display Your glory as the mighty forces of the army of the Lord, following the lead of Your command. “In that day of battle, Your people will serve You willingly. Arrayed in holy garments, (their) vigor will be renewed each day like morning dew (v. 110:3, NLT). You will not have to prod them with force nor entice them with pay, for Your people will be stirred in their hearts with such passion and purpose to readily volunteer and offer themselves willingly in the service of our reigning King and “Commander of the Army of the Lord” (Joshua 5:14). We had tea with a young man and his family, just at sunset last night at their home overlooking a beautiful green and stony meadow, running up to the edge of the sea, off the coast of Holyhead Island, Angelsey, North Wales. He’s Heather’s son-in-law, Dafydd, who runs his business to support his family, but his passion is serving as a volunteer lifeboat captain with the sea rescue volunteer forces. These brave men and women are ready and willing, at a moment’s notice, to drop whatever they’re doing to answer the call to duty and respond to someone in distress. No one has to prod them or pay them. They’re prepared and passionate to offer themselves willing and volunteer freely on the day of battle for someone’s life in distress at sea. This is the heart You seek from Your people for this hour. There are many souls, lost at sea, overwhelmed and drowning in a world where all the things they’ve trusted for their safety and security are shipwrecked and shattered. Whether outwardly open in their desperate distress or still inwardly seeking some sense of hope while still hidden and masked by an exterior of pride, they’re crying for help. Whether they’ll admit it or not, they’re longing inside for someone who’ll come to seek and rescue their soul from the distress of life in a broken, fallen world. O Lord, who will hear Your call to be prepared for the day of battle for someone’s soul? Who will volunteer freely to serve You willingly, arrayed in the holiness of Your Spirit and clothed in the power of Your love, to be Your hands of hope and Your words of life? Let me be one. Let me be prepared and passionate to take my place at Your command in the army of the Lord who loves every sinner and lost soul, “not wanting any to perish, but that all to come to repentance” in the safe and mighty arms of the Lord (2 Peter 3:9). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer during our time in Wales and England these next 30 days for our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. I have such a stirring in my spirit that we will encounter and experience God among the people in many diverse ways. Sometimes we'll be ministering in churches, sometimes home churches, sometimes public gatherings, sometimes in marketplace cafes and interesting little encounters and appointments we don't yet have any clue about but God does! I'm so thrilled that Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries invited Andrea Clemons and me to come, and they've made all the arrangements and provision for us to minister the healing love of God in their home nation. Our team will travel all over towns and villages in North Wales and to Oxford, Birmingham, and Plymouth England to preach, pray, and love the people of this land, as we share the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Wales has deep spiritual roots. The great Welsh Revival in about 1904-1906 swept the nation and in time, impacted the world. It began as a simple time of fervent prayer and testimonies of repentance, led by a young man named Evan Roberts. I'll get to speak and share at Mariah Chapel, his home church where the Revival began humbly; and I'm excited about going to drink deeply from that ancient well of world-changing revival. Many also believe the Welsh Revival was a precursor to the famous Azusa Street Revival in California that ushered in the 20th century Pentecostal movement. Let's pray for revival and awakening in the hearts of the people and in ours. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 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!

“From Place to Place, Proclaiming the Word” 10-1-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By the blood of the Lamb, I’m a son of God; and in the communion of prayer, I’m a friend of God. My Father and Friend, I thank You for drawing near to me, as I draw near to You. … “Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the Word. Phillip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Phillip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city…. When they believed Phillip, who was proclaiming the Good News about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:4-12). Thank You for the great gift, honor, and opportunity to know the love of God, revealed in Jesus the Christ, and to share the Good News about the Kingdom of God everywhere You send me, proclaiming Your Word in the power of Your Spirit. Awaken within me the faith and passion of Your early Church. But even more, awaken within me the faith and passion Your desire for Your end times Church. May I be part of the Body and Bride of Christ, moving in the nature of Your love and the power of Your Spirit to proclaim Your name and display Your glory throughout the nations of the earth as never seen before. The glory of the latter will be even greater than the glory of the former, as You “fill this house with splendor” and “the treasure of all nations shall come” (Haggai 2:6-9). Your prophecy will be fulfilled that “the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do even greater works than these” (John 14:12). Through Your people, by Your Spirit, You are proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God and demonstrating in the power of God, so that all will come to know You are God and You are great and You love each one of us. You want to forgive us of our sins, heal us of our hurts, free us from our bondage, fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and love us as Your sons and daughters. That’s the Good News that brings great joy to the cities and nations of all who believe. Everywhere we are scattered and everywhere we are sent, let us proclaim with boldness and joy the goodness of God. Today, You’re sending me to the nation of Wales, where our team will travel “from place to place, proclaiming the Word” to the souls who are hungering and thirsting for an encounter with You—whether they know it or not. May there be salvation, healing, and freedom wherever we go because You go with us and Your Spirit is upon us. May You awaken us and awaken Your Bride to arise and shine to be Your Body in this nation and throughout the nations of the earth. “And this Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm leaving today for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. We'll be going "from place to place" in Wales and northern England for thirty days of ministry. 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. We can provide you with a Detailed Itinerary and Prayer Guide through Linda, our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, at PrayerLead@aol.com It's your love, support and encouragement that makes this kind of ministry possible! Thank you for joining with us in this ministry of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God everywhere the Lord sends us 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!

Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer 9-30-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You each day. … “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:6, NKJV). What happens in our hearts in what is most likely to happen in our lives. What moves our hearts is what will likely move us. Our words and actions are rooted and grounded in our inner beliefs and desires. “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15:18). Of course, we can fake it; we can even try to fool most of the people most of the time, but our truest words and actions are a reflection of our truest thoughts and desires. I had a chance to have lunch and spend some time with a “horse whisperer” yesterday, here with his team in Kentucky for the World Equestrian Games—Dr. Lew Sterrett of Sermon on the Mount Ministries and author of Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer. He uses Biblical principles to train riders and their horses, following Your ancient principles of life that apply to humans, animals, and all of Your creation. With the gifts You’ve given him, he can consistently take a horse that’s never been ridden and have him honestly desiring to obey and please his master in a matter of hours. And as he speaks from the mount of a horse, he teaches Your Word and Your principles of relationship and leadership as he trains a horse to fulfill its purpose and calling. Dr. Lew and his wife Mary were talking with me about the key principle of the heart. We can go through the motions with our actions, but it’s what’s in the heart that matters. If our hearts have been damaged by others, we’re likely to respond to others in damaged ways until our hearts are healed and changed. We can respond to the external pressures and problems of life by what we think the tyranny of the moment demands, but our lives are out of order and inconsistent if our hearts are not in it. “Pressure can always be used to demand change, but unless change comes from the inward desire, the heart, it usually doesn’t last.” Lord Jesus, change my heart. Make it pure and true. Let Your Holy Spirit form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Let me become a son in the nature of my Father. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make me more like You each day. Teach me and train me to respond with confidence and joy to the gentle pressure of Your leading and the consistent whisper of Your voice. Let my words and actions be true because my heart is right. “You desire truth in (my) inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart…. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:6-10). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. 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!

Jesus the World Equestrian 9-29-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I exalt You, O Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Be lifted up as I bow down to begin my day in worship and prayer with You. … “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name inscribed that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robed dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’” (Revelation 19:11-16). Lord Jesus, You are an equestrian. And one day You’ll return from heaven riding a white horse with all the equestrian armies of heaven following behind You on their white horses. It will be a day of great joy for those who have believed You and trusted You with their lives through the horrendous days of tribulation and persecution of Your faithful ones on the earth. And it will be a day of great judgment for those who rejected Your grace, defamed Your name, and tormented Your people (v. 19:17-21). But every day between this day and that day—“the great and terrible day of the Lord”—Your heart is open wide and Your arms are stretched out farm, for all to come and embrace the grace of Your mercy and love (Malachi 4:1-6). “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed” (2 Peter 3:9-10). Your heart is for all, Your mercy and love and grace is for all—for all who would humble themselves to call on Your name and embrace Your as Savior and Lord of all (Acts 2:21). For sixteen days, the World Equestrian Games is being hosted here at the Kentucky Horse Park between Lexington and Georgetown, Kentucky. Riders and owners of some of the world’s most talented horses have come to Kentucky from the nations of the world. Visitors have come from the nations and from across our nation to experience the games and to experience our state. And through Affiliated International Ministries and all of our churches and ministries that have planned and united as the Body of Christ in our city, we are praying that all our visitors will also experience Jesus and the glory of the Presence of God in these days. As they watch the equestrians of the world, may they also see the Equestrian of the World come riding on Your white horse in the mighty rushing wind of Your Holy Spirit into their hearts and ours. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. 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!

Harvest Season of Joy 9-28-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my first thoughts be my first fruits of offering to You this day. Let my life be Your living sacrifice, as You guide my thoughts and desires for Your will through me today. … “You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor” (Exodus 23:16). This week is the time of the Jewish harvest festival, in fulfillment of Your call to celebrate the harvest of Your provision for Your people. Many call this “the harvest season of joy,” as what has been sown is now to be reaped. And the first fruits of the grain of the harvest is to be waved before You and offered in joy of Your goodness and faithfulness, Your great mercies and steadfast love. And of course, all the feasts of the Jewish Covenant, as well as all the laws and prophecies of Scripture, find their ultimate fulfillment in Messiah, the Word made flesh (Luke 24:27). Thank You for the seasons of joy. Thank You for gifts of God and the harvests we have because of Your faithfulness for us. All that we have belongs to You, and with all that we have we are to honor You. “Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). I give my life A sacrifice With all that I am And all that I have I give my life to You So come take my heart And come take my soul For all that is good Comes from the hands of God Yes, Lord. That’s my prayer. And that’s my praise, in this season of joy and celebration of Your harvest of my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for Messiah Ministries' financial provision. Thanks to the grace of God and your generosity to stand with us in ministry, we've had the breakthrough we needed. Please pray for a sustained flow of resources for us to continue moving forward with the vision and calling the Lord has entrusted to us--"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." We couldn't do it without you! I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. 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!

“New Wine” Every Day 9-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Father God. Good morning, Holy Spirit. You are One and You are holy. And by the grace of God, I am wholly Yours. … “No one sows a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pull away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16-17). On the day of Pentecost, all Your disciples who had been watching and waiting, hungering and thirsting to see what You would do next in their lives were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). And all the onlookers and naysayers, all the ones who were just happy to stay as they were and just settle for what they had “sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine’ ” (v. 2:13). They supposed Your disciples were drunk, but it was only nine o’clock in the morning. They weren’t consuming new wine; they were being consumed with the Spirit and power of the Presence of God in new way they had never known. Their lives would never be the same. Now every day, we can be embraced by our Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. We can be consumed with the Spirit and power and Presence of God in a new way we’ve never known before. And You want to pour out Your Spirit into the hearts of all who are hungering and thirsting for more of You (v. 2:17). In that sense, every day to be the Day of the Lord. Every day is to be the day of our personal Pentecost. We can never be filled too much and never be filled too often with Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). But the new wine of Your Holy Spirit can’t fill an old wine skin. Every day, I must freshly humble myself with fresh hunger and fresh faith. Every day, I must be ready to be stretched and shaped in my human spirit for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit if I’m to imbibe the new wine You’re ready to pour out into my heart for each new day. Let me never settle for yesterday’s filling of yesterday’s wine. Let me always be excited and expectant to see what You’ll do next with my life. Your mercies are “new every morning” and the outpouring of Your steadfast love never comes to an end (Lamentations 3:22-23). So keep stretching my wine skin and keep filling me with Your new wine, so that every day I can say, “I’ll never be the same.” 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!

Merciful, Mighty God 9-24-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Savior and Lord, mighty and merciful God, keep coming into my heart and into every moment of my day. … Merciful God Mighty are You Magnificent in glory Marvelous and true Merciful God Mighty are You Master of everything Maker of all things new Thank You for this stirring of my spirit in worship and praise, as You write this new song of hope and faith on my heart today. … “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; Him alone shall you worship; to Him you shall hold fast, and by His name you shall swear. His your praise; He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen” (Deuteronomy 10:17-21). You are a great and awesome God, who does great and awesome things. You are merciful and You are mighty. You are always moving in my life, causing all things to work together for good, as You give me grace to entrust all things to You. When I’m tempted to worry, You say, “Trust Me.” When I’m tempted to doubt, You say, “Only believe.” When I’m tempted to fear, You say, “Remember My faithfulness and keep the faith.” Praise You, God. Thank You, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I love You and trust You with my life today and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, be strengthened in the love and power of our mighty God today, who is faithful and able to provide all we need. He's always working in ways in we don't always see. So as my friend Doris says, "We're going to trust what He says and not what we see." I'm agreeing with God's words of blessing and promise in your life today. Thank you for agreeing for that with me in Jesus' mighty name (Matthew 18:19). God bless you! 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!

Mercies from Heaven 9-23-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, lead me beside Your still waters and set my feet in the paths of Your righteousness. … “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You, and You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You rescued them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You were patient with them, and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God—the great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us…. we are in great distress” (Nehemiah 9:28-37). You chose the children of Israel as Your possession and sealed them with Your covenant. You called them to trust You and Your ways, to obey You and Your will. And many times they did. But in Your relationship of love with them that requires the freedom to love You or not, to trust You or not, to obey You or not, they always had the freedom to choose their own way instead of Your way, trusting in themselves instead of trusting in You. And though it would break Your heart, You would allow them the suffer the consequences of their actions and allow them to experience the outcomes of their choices. But even Your judgments were Your mercy, because Your judgments were always intended to lead them to repentance; and repentance always restored them to Your mercy. Whenever they humbled themselves to turn again to You, You heard from heaven and sent Your Word and Your Spirit to rescue them in Your mercy. And lest we become too prideful in our own eyes, looking upon their failures as foolishness in the judgment of our own self-righteousness, Your Word reminds us that all that happened to them are to be examples for us: “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Just as they fell, so are we tempted to fall. Just as they had the freedom to rebel in their stubborn hearts with their stiff necks, insisting upon their own wisdom and relying upon their own strength, so do we. Yet the same God who was unbelievably patient and merciful, keeping covenant and steadfast love with them through all their sins and failures, all their greifs and sorrows, is the same great and awesome God who hears us when we call and delivers us from our distress. You never leave us nor forsake us, even when we deserve it the most. You’re never blind to our hardships nor unmerciful in our sufferings. You are with us through it all, always sending Your Word and Your Spirit to lift our eyes again to heaven and open our hearts again to our Savior. Like the children of Israel, there may be times and seasons of suffering and hardship, but they do not compare with the seasons of joy and peace—sometimes interwoven with those same difficult seasons—as we turn to You and call on Your name, returning to trust in You alone as our Savior. “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43). By the grace of God, let us keep turning to You. Let Your mercies fall from heaven and let our rejoicing rise from our hearts, even heard from far away. 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! Morning by Morning, Thursday 9-23-10 – Mercies from Heaven Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, lead me beside Your still waters and set my feet in the paths of Your righteousness. … “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You, and You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You rescued them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You were patient with them, and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God—the great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us…. we are in great distress” (Nehemiah 9:28-37). You chose the children of Israel as Your possession and sealed them with Your covenant. You called them to trust You and Your ways, to obey You and Your will. And many times they did. But in Your relationship of love with them that requires the freedom to love You or not, to trust You or not, to obey You or not, they always had the freedom to choose their own way instead of Your way, trusting in themselves instead of trusting in You. And though it would break Your heart, You would allow them the suffer the consequences of their actions and allow them to experience the outcomes of their choices. But even Your judgments were Your mercy, because Your judgments were always intended to lead them to repentance; and repentance always restored them to Your mercy. Whenever they humbled themselves to turn again to You, You heard from heaven and sent Your Word and Your Spirit to rescue them in Your mercy. And lest we become too prideful in our own eyes, looking upon their failures as foolishness in the judgment of our own self-righteousness, Your Word reminds us that all that happened to them are to be examples for us: “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Just as they fell, so are we tempted to fall. Just as they had the freedom to rebel in their stubborn hearts with their stiff necks, insisting upon their own wisdom and relying upon their own strength, so do we. Yet the same God who was unbelievably patient and merciful, keeping covenant and steadfast love with them through all their sins and failures, all their greifs and sorrows, is the same great and awesome God who hears us when we call and delivers us from our distress. You never leave us nor forsake us, even when we deserve it the most. You’re never blind to our hardships nor unmerciful in our sufferings. You are with us through it all, always sending Your Word and Your Spirit to lift our eyes again to heaven and open our hearts again to our Savior. Like the children of Israel, there may be times and seasons of suffering and hardship, but they do not compare with the seasons of joy and peace—sometimes interwoven with those same difficult seasons—as we turn to You and call on Your name, returning to trust in You alone as our Savior. “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43). By the grace of God, let us keep turning to You. Let Your mercies fall from heaven and let our rejoicing rise from our hearts, even heard from far away. 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!

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!