Delight in the Fear of the Lord - April 11

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all I think and feel and do this day. …

“His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:3).

I made it to the meeting last night just in time for the end of the message and the altar call. It was an invitation to come and embrace “a baptism in the fear of the Lord.” I don’t remember ever being challenged and encouraged with that call before. And if I have, I don’t think I’ve ever received it and embraced it, and certainly never manifested it, so deeply in response to a move of Your power in my spirit, soul, and body as I experienced it last night.

But it’s part of the call to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).It’s part of the nature of Christ that Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah to come, Who would be filled with the seven-fold Spirit of God: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2; Revelation 3:1). And “His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:3).

Lord, let that be my delight. Let my delight be to fear You—to honor You, to reverence You, to give my life completely to You. Let me be sensitive to Your convictions and eager to embrace Your corrections, having my conscience clear and my heart pure, that I don’t even desire to turn to anything less than Your will throughout the moments of my day. Let it not be something I have to strive to do or make myself perform, but something that just becomes a part of who I am.

The children of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). The sons and daughters of God are consumed by the Spirit of God—baptized in the fire of the fear of the Lord (Hebrews 12:29). We are called to pursue in our hearts “the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). With many on our faces at the altar of Your Presence, I believe You baptized me in that fire last night in a way I’ve never known before. Lord, keep Your holy desire and Your holy fire burning in me (Matthew 3:11). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! April 15th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month. This month, Jeff Green will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin be leading in prayer. All are welcome!

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“Love Never Fails” - April 8

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are in me and I am in You. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You guide my steps throughout this day. …

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though all have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).

The mountains may tremble and the seas may roar, but Your love never fails. Earthquakes may rock our world and economic tsunamis may wash away everything not built upon the solid rock of a security in You alone, but Your love never fails. And Your love is in us—moving us with compassion for the broken, courage to stand with the fearful, tenacity to endure with the hopeless, because Your love never fails. “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT).

When we love, we cannot fail. We may make mistakes; we may sin. But by the mercy of Your grace, You redeem our mistakes and forgive our sins. You keep on loving us and keep on loving through us. Your love is the greatest power in the world—the power to change us and the power to change the world through us. And with that thought in our minds and that desire in our hearts, we cannot fail, because love never fails. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT).

In the power of Your love, every catastrophe becomes an opportunity for Your nature to be manifested through our lives. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. And the foundation of Your kingdom, Your power, and Your glory is love. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8). It’s a kingdom of love that will never end (Daniel 7:14). And it’s a kingdom of love that’s here now, within us (Luke 17:20-21). This is the kingdom of Your love that will never fail. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, I join with you in prayer for the people of Japan, enduring the devastation of yet another earthquake. May these catastrophes in their lives and any in our lives become opportunities to love and be loved in the power of God through the people of God. God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer for one another and for our world.

Thank you for praying for us at our Power and Love Conference this week in Lexington. We've been going out in the city all week, praying for people and coming back to share amazing stories of God's love and power moving among us. I pray for the move of God in the power of His love in Your city and region as well!


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Beautiful Feet Bringing Good News - April 7

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Conform me into Your image. …

“For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ But how are they to call on One in Whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in One of Whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim Him? And how are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:13-15)

It really is good news You send us to share. Forgive us when we don’t share Your good news with love in our hearts and smiles on our faces from all the amazing grace in our lives. It’s not meant to be bad news of condemnation, judgment, self-righteousness, and spiritual arrogance. It’s meant to be good news of Your tender mercies and powerful love, restoring and redeeming our lives to be all You created us to be—sons and daughters of the Living God. It’s the good news of the free gift of God available to all who will open their hearts to entrust their lives to You. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

Lord, let my feet be beautiful today, as I walk in Your steps in the ways You will lead. Let my face reflect the joy of my salvation and my spirit reveal my gratitude for Your grace, as You send me to share the good news of Your mercy and love. “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). As I arise from my place of prayer and go out into my world to my places of ministry, let everyone who sees me know that I have been with You and Your Spirit is within me, reaching out to them in the power of Your love (Acts 4:13). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


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School of Power and Love - April 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the communion of prayer, I want to start this day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“‘And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy child Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they had gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31).

For the next four days, we’ll be gathered together in Your Presence and in Your name at “The School of Power and Love,” co-hosted by our ministry and six other ministries and churches in our city. We’re hungry to grow in our understanding and experience of sharing the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the healing power of God outside the walls of our churches and everywhere Your Spirit leads us. We want to live and work in the everyday moments and everyday relationships of our ordinary lives, filled with Your extraordinary power, to lead our neighbors to You (Romans 8:9-11).

Let the place where we gather together be shaken. Let the strongholds of darkness be shaken. Let everything be shaken that can be shaken so that only that which cannot be shaken remains (Hebrews 12:27). Awaken Your Bride, the Body of Christ, in our city to arise and shine, to share Your love and Your power and Your Word with boldness. Let the renewal and revival in our hearts engulf our community and all the earth, until “the earth (is) filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea!” (Habakkuk 2:14) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep us in prayer at our School of Power and Love this week, at Lexington United Methodist Church. Over 150 have registered from all different churches and traditions in our city, and the evening sessions are open to the public ( http://www.powerandlove.org/schools/ky2011 ). I pray for great renewal and revival in Your city and region through God's power and love in Jesus' name.


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Blessing God with Great Joy - April 5

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes, open up my heart, and welcome You into my spirit. Christ in me now and throughout the moments of my day. …

“Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up His hands, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:50-53).

You’re in heaven and You’re also in me. I worship You on high and I also worship You within. You lead me each day as far as I am to go. You lift up Your hands over me and stretch out Your hands through me. My heart is Your altar and my body is Your temple—“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

You fill me with Your Holy Spirit; and my human spirit is continually blessing God with great joy, because Your Presence ever abides within me. “This is the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him because He abides with you, and He will be in you…. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:17-20).

This day is that day. Every day that I open my spirit to Your Spirit, yield my will to Your will, allow Your voice to lead me and Your Spirit to fill me is that day. It’s a day of blessing God with great joy, a day of my great God blessing me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


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I’m All In - April 4

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait in the silence, centered in Your Presence, to begin my day in the communion of prayer with You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. …

“For we are what He has made us, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Ephesians 2:10).

I am who You have made me to be—this is my identity. I do what You have created me to do—this is my destiny. I live and move and have my being in You—this is my way of life. It’s all by Your grace, as I trust in You by faith to be Lord of all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (v. 2:8-9).

Keep revealing to me my identity. Keep awakening within me my destiny. Keep leading me in the ways that lead to the life I can only know to the degree I’m committed to follow You. I’ve come too far to turn back now. I’ve seen too much to doubt Your truth. So give me courage to press on and passion to press in. As Your first followers came to understand in their journey of faith with you, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).

So there’s nowhere else I want to go, nothing else I want to do, no one else I want to be than all that You’ve purposed in Your heart for me. I’m all in. Help me live like it—as best as I can and all by Your grace. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I no live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


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Love in the Image of God - April 1

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice. ...

"Then God said, 'Let Us make humankind in Our image, according to Our likeness'.... So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit--You are One God in three Persons, eternally One in the perfect bond of Your perfect nature of holy love (1 John 4:8). You've created us in Your image, according to Your likeness--to love and to be loved, to love You and love one another, to be loved by You and be loved by one another (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37-40). This is how we are to live life in the image of God, as You forgive us and cleanse us from every way we fail to love You and love one another.

"God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the 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 through us" (1 John 4:9-12).

In the journey through these forty days of fasting and prayer in preparation for the week we remember together Your journey to the cross and Your resurrection from the tomb, it's good to remember to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is that You are the God Who is love, expressing Your love to us and through us. Everything else we ever do or say, we ever teach or learn, we ever think or believe, must be grounded in this foundational truth. "So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (1 John 4:16).

Lord Jesus, You perfectly revealed the love of the Father through the nature of the Holy Spirit living in You. And now You live in me and in the hearts of all who trust and believe in You by grace, through faith (Colossians 1:27). We are in the daily process of the journey to the cross and the resurrection, being conformed into the image of the Son of God, into the nature of the love of God (Romans 8:29). This journey of death and resurrection is the journey of following You into the growing nature of Your love.

As You said to Your first disciples and all Your disciples to follow: "If any want to be My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). This is our life of love for the sake of God--for "the only thing that counts is faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). To the degree that we love--allowing You to express Your love through us--we reveal we are created, redeemed, and restored into the image of our God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

God bless you in your journey through this season toward the Holy Week we especially remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. May He make us more like Him each day, all in the power of His grace -- Your friend, Tommy

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Angels Encamped About Me - March 31

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings, King of all, Lord of lords. Lord of all, be King and Lord of my life and every moment of my day. …

“Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, ‘This is God’s camp!’ So he called that place Mahanim (meaning two camps)” (Genesis 32:1-2).

Let the angels of the Lord encamp about me. I can’t see them, but I know they are there (2 Kings 6:17). Thank You for those who have watched over me, in that heavenly, unseen realm of the spirit, since the day I was born—watching my back and beholding Your face (Matthew 18:10). They lift me up and guard me with care, warring in the heavenly realm in ways I don’t always know and fighting for me in battles I could not win (Psalm 91:9-14). They are Your “spirits in divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation;” and encamp about Your people at Your command wherever we go because You go with us (Hebrews 1:14).

So wherever I go on my way, the angels of God go with me. And there are always two camps—the one I see with my natural eyes, and the one I believe by faith with my spiritual eyes. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 34:7-8). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


Friends, I'm excited to be making arrangements for ministry in Africa this summer. Please let me know if you'd like to join in prayer or support: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org Let me know if you'd like to donate frequent flyer miles to our ministry for a tax-deductible contribution. That would make a huge difference for us to be able to travel more with the messages the Lord has entrusted to Messiah Ministries -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

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Continually - March 30

Good morning, Lord Jesus. May my eyes be as fixed as the sun on Your face, as watch and wait for leading of Your Spirit to begin my day with You. …

My eyes be as fixed as the sun on Your face
My ears be as sensitive as a violin to Your voice
My spirit be as deep as a river with Your Spirit
My heart be as open as an ocean to Your love …

“O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him, tell of all His wonderful works. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and His Presence continually” (1 Chronicles 16:8-11).

With my eyes and ears, with my spirit and heart, I seek You now and welcome You with me throughout the moments of my day. I embrace Your Presence continually. If I’m tempted to sin, remind me You’re watching. If I’m tempted to grumble, remind me You’re listening. If I’m tempted to be indifferent to the sufferings around me, remind me You’re within me. My life is no longer my own, and all the moments and encounters of my day belong to You. I am continually Yours and You are continually mine. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep us in prayer tonight. I'll be teaching and ministering on healing prayer during the Wednesday night series on Prayer Encounters led by Laura Beach at my home church ( www.CentenaryLex.com ). All are welcome!


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“Sacred Portion” - March 29

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and I thank You for loving me. …

“When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the fruit of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘Today, I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into a land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us” (Deuteronomy 26:1-3).

Every morning when I wake up to breathe the fresh air of a new day, I’ve entered into the inheritance You’ve given me to possess. Every evening when I look up at the stars and lay down to sleep in security and peace, I’ve entered into the inheritance You’ve given me to possess. Let me never take it for granted. And even in the mornings when it seems the air is not so fresh and in the evenings when it seems there’s not so much peace, let me remember that You are with me, at work within me and at work for me to keep entering into my inheritance. And to be ready to help others enter into their inheritance as well.

Under the New Covenant, fulfilled in Christ, You are my Priest and I am the place You have chosen as a dwelling for Your name. All that I am and all that I have belong to You. Every good thing that You accomplish through my life is the fruit of the ground and the harvest from the land. The basket from the abundance I gather and offer to You as my “tithe” is the thanksgiving in my heart with the praises of my mouth that You are the Source of every good thing in my life (v. 26:12).

My tithes are not offerings to that which is lifeless, fruitless, or “dead” but to the One in Whom I live and move and have my being (v. 26:14). This is my “sacred portion”—my part You give me to give back to You, out of the overflow of Your blessings (v. 26:13). And out of my offerings of my heart, my time, my money, and all that I am, You take it and multiply with the offerings of Your children to provide for the ministries of Your Kingdom to the lives You touch—to “the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows” (v. 26:13). With thanksgiving and praise that You accept our offerings and use our lives to fulfill Your will, we “celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord (our) God has given to (us) and to (our) house” (v. 26:11). Now, O Lord, “Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel (and all who also now join in the inheritance of all the blessings of Abraham through the New Covenant in Christ) and the ground that You have given us, as You swore to our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 26:15; Galatians 3:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


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“Come and See!” - March 28

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life today. …

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is not deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you get to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man’” (John 1:45-51).

Philip found Jesus—the Messiah, the Christ, the One they longed in their hearts to see and to know, Who would fulfill all the law and all the prophecies, Emmanuel, God with us. And Philip couldn’t wait to share his faith with Nathanael: “Come and see!”—“Come and see the One Who’s forgiven my sins, the One Who heals the brokenhearted and sets the captives free, the One Who knows everything about us and loves us anyway, the One who makes my heart sing and my spirit soar!”

But Nathanael wasn’t so sure. He had his doubts and he had his questions. But he soon found that You already knew everything about him. You weren’t offended by his doubts or put off by his questions. You loved him and welcomed him, and then spoke to him of how his life was about to change, how he was now going to experience life in way that he could have never known without knowing You. The heavens were open over You, and now the heavens would be open over him and over all who put their hope and trust in You.

I saw two more set aside their doubts and come to the end of their questions to ask You to come into their hearts as Lord and Savior this weekend on our church’s Alpha Course. Friends invited them to “Come and see.” And now the heavens are open over their hearts and their lives are changed forever. Many others received deep healing and spiritual freedom. You healed one lady dramatically of her pain from years of fibromyalgia and chronic pain, as we gathered around her in prayer and her husband spoke blessings into her spirit in the authority of Your name. And so many received a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Some even sang in tongues the high praises of God!

You’re the God who knows everything about us. You know our doubts and our questions, our insecurities and fears, even our sins and shame. But You keep loving us and calling us to come know You, to come let You change our lives in the power of Your love and the mercy of Your grace. Then we can’t wait to go get our friends and say, “Come and see.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, thank you for praying for us at our weekend retreat on our Alpha Course this weekend. God moved in might ways! I was excited to get to share three talks on the Holy Spirit, which is one of my favorite parts of Alpha ( www.AlphaUSA.org ), one of the evangelism ministries of my home church ( www.CentenaryLex.org ). Cyndi, the lady who was healed by Jesus from years of chronic pain from fibromyalgia, said she's love to write a testimony to share with our ministry and encourage our intercessors and supporters. Praise God! Healing is not always so sudden and dramatic, but it's really exciting when it is. And salvation of the soul is always the greatest healing of all! So we are all praising God for His mighty hand in our lives on this weekend away. And I pray for His mighty power to move in your life and lives of your friends you reach out to say, "Come and see" and lead them to Him. God bless you!


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On the Mountains and Through the Fires - March 25

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit, as I begin my day in the communion of prayer with You. …

“The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire” (Deuteronomy 5:4).

You delivered Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. You led them through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. And at Your holy mountain in the desert, You expressed Your heart for their lives to Moses and all the people. Your heart was that “it might go well with them and their children forever” (v. 5:29). Yet it was hard for them to hear Your heart because they were so afraid of Your Presence (v. 5:23-27).

“Indeed our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrew 12:29). And You are a holy God Who is worthy of a healthy and holy fear of the Lord, but it’s not a fear to make us afraid and hold back from You. It’s a fear of honor and respect, that we would not try to hide our true heart, hopes, struggles, and sins from You, but willingly open all our heart and soul to You. It’s Your holy fire that purifies our hearts for the very purpose of drawing near to You with “clean hands and pure hearts” to “receive blessing from the Lord” as we “seek the face of the God of Jacob” (Psalm 24:3-6).

You want to speak to us “face to face”—personally, intimately. And You speak to us when we draw near to You in the mountain of Your Presence, in the high place of Your glory, when we lift up our hearts to You in prayer. But You also speak to us in the fire. Sometimes it’s the fire of the One Who is consuming everything in us that is not yet like You, that we may draw closer still. And sometimes it’s the fire of the challenges and circumstances we endure through this broken, fallen world, suffering under the burden of its “bondage to decay” and sin, not yet fully redeemed and restored to all it will be one day (Romans 8:18-23).

Thank You for speaking to me on the mountains. And thank You for speaking to me in the fires. Thank You for speaking to me when I feel enveloped by a cloud of the glory of Your Presence, face to face and heart to heart. And thank You for speaking to me when it seems everything in me and around me is being consumed in a fiery furnace, heated up seven times from the fires of hell (Daniel 3:19).

Thank You for speaking to me when I can clearly hear Your words in my heart; and thank You for speaking to me when it doesn’t seem I can hear You at all. No matter what, You’re always here, always near. And Your heart toward me is always the same—calling me to hear and trust and obey, that it may go well with me and my children forever. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! in the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep our team in prayer as I give three talks on the Holy Spirit at the weekend retreat of my home church's Alpha Course this weekend ( www.AlphaUSA.org ). The topics are "Who is the Holy Spirit?", "What does the Holy Spirit do?", and "How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?" This is one of our main evangelism ministries at my home church, and many with come to faith in Christ this weekend, and many will be filled with the Holy Spirit I believe (www.CentenaryLex.org ).

Friends, please keep my family and Messiah Minstries in mind, as the Lord leads you. We appreciate so much all your prayers, encouragement and support to fulfill our calling and vision of "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" at home and abroad. Please let me know if I could ever talk with you or your church about our vision, our hopes, and our needs. Like a missionary, I raise my own support to fulfill what I believe the Lord has called me to do through Messiah Ministries: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org These are challenging financial times, but our hope and trust is in the Lord Who will bring us through every fire and draw us near to Him in the mountain of His Presence! I pray that for you and thank you for praying that for me!

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David’s Messiah and Living Hope - March 24

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re my Savior and my Lord. I speak out Your name and listen for Your voice, as I start this day centered in You. …

“For David says, concerning Him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your Presence’ … David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah” (Acts 2:25-31).

You are the resurrected Messiah. You are our Living Hope. Though You were crucified, dead, and buried as the Son of Man in human form on this earth for our sins, You were not abandoned by the Father to Hades and never knew the corruption of Your body in death. Instead You descended into the deepest depths of hell itself, victoriously declaring the gospel of truth and life even to those who were bound there by their sin and rebellion (1 Peter 4:5-6). And then the Father raised You from the dead and into the heights of the heavens to rule and reign in glory and victory over all (Acts 2:24).

Though David lived a thousand years before Your birth, death, and resurrection on this earth as the Son of Man, living in the flesh, he looked ahead with prophetic hope for the Holy One Who was to come. And though David’s life was not was not always holy and pure, though his hands were stained with blood and his heart was stained with sin, he knew his God. Though he lived through troubled times, when the promises of God often seemed delayed and impossible to be fulfilled, he was a man “after (God’s) own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

David’s intimacy with You encouraged him and sustained him. You were ever before him in his thoughts and ever with him by his side. So he was not shaken. His heart was glad and his tongue rejoiced, whatever the battles he faced and the circumstances he endured, because he lived in the hope You had sealed in his heart. You taught him and led him in Your ways of life and made him full of gladness with Your Presence.

By Your mercy and grace, his failures did not cause You to forsake him and his fears did not paralyze or overwhelm him. He kept looking to You, trusting in You, singing songs of praise and writing prayers of hope, as he led others to You—and still does by his words that are now forever recorded in Your Word.

David’s Messiah—his Savior, Lord, and Living Hope—is ours as well. Jesus Messiah—the Anointed and Holy One of God—You’re my Lord and the Lord of all. You are the Holy One Who is to come; and at the same time, You are the Holy One Who is always here. As You have said, “I Am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Yes, You are. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep our ministry in mind, as the Lord leads you. We appreciate so much all your prayers, encouragement and support to fulfill our calling and vision of "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" at home and abroad. Please let me know if I could ever talk with you or your church about our vision, our hopes, and our needs. Like a missionary, I raise my own support to fulfill what I believe the Lord has called me to do through Messiah Ministries: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org These are challenging spritual times and challenging financial times, but the Lord is our Living Hope!

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Secure Refuge in Everlasting Arms - March 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. I worship You, O Lord, my God in every Dimension of Your Being with every dimension of my being and welcome You into every dimension of my life and this day. …

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27, NKJV).

You are my security, my rock and my refuge. Your arms are strong and Your embrace is everlasting. You are the ancient of days and the author of time. You hold our lives in Your hands—hands scarred by the nails of our sins and stained by the blood of Your mercy. So no matter what we may endure, we are in good hands and strong arms. All that I am and all that I have, I commit to You because all my hope and trust is in You. “Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:4).

Trusting in You, You steady my heart and guide my steps. You fill my mind with Your thoughts and lead me in the paths of Your security and wisdom by Your Spirit. Help me take time to listen, to trust, and to obey. I willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone, as best as I can all by Your grace. You are my secure refuge in the everlasting arms in my eternal God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, I'm standing with you in prayer, as we trust in our God, confident in the power of His mercy and love through these troubling times. He sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. May these world crises be opportunities for us to love and lead others to Him as never before, as we allow Him to embrace us as never before. God bless you! --Tommy


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A Heart Set Right - March 22

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Walk with me and talk with me along the steps of my day. …

“It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor” (Psalm 112:5-9).

The righteous are those who allow You to set their hearts right. And out of a right heart, the thoughts of their mind and the actions of their hands move in right alignment with the desires of their heart, that they’ve allowed You to form and shape. A righteous heart is steady, secure, unwavering, and unafraid. A righteous heart is generous and just, endearing and enduring. It’s triumphant over foes of fear and pride, self-righteousness and pride, confusion and deceit, jealousy and greed. And it’s the heart that You honor with Your blessing and favor.

These are challenging days. And the days ahead will grow more challenging still. So Lord, set my heart right now, so I can trust Your leading through my heart in the days to come. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as You guide my steps in the paths of Your righteousness—not mine or anyone else’s. “I implore Your favor with all my heart, be gracious to me according to Your promise” (Psalm 119:58). Blessed are they whose hearts are right and whose hope is secure, by the power of the grace of our God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

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“The Beginning of the Birth Pangs” - March 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me start this new day centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“When He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs’” (Matthew 24:3-8).

It seems that much of this world is laboring in the throes of birth pangs. We’ve experienced wars and rumors of wars and famines and earthquakes in this broken and fallen world for thousands of years, yet it does seem the contractions are growing with both frequency and intensity. No one knows but the Father, the day and the hour when this age will end and the new age of the new heaven and new earth will begin (v. 24:36; Revelation 21:1). Regardless, our focus is not be on the end of days but on You. We’re not to be filled with fear, but with faith.

Let no one lead us astray. No government, no religion, no stockpile of emergency rations or precious metals can be our savior or messiah. That place in our hearts and lives is reserved for You alone. No matter what we may endure, You will be with us “always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And as we abide in You and You abide in us, You will be helping and healing, loving and leading, through us, as the hands and feet of the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ in this world throughout this age.

The nations may war and the seas may roar, but we will keep turning to You, trusting in You to be our Security and Savior. “The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before Him, the world and all who live in it…. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He protects those who take refuge in Him, even in the rushing flood” (Nahum 1:5-7).

Today is the day for each of us to find our refuge in You, because none of know what wars or storms tomorrow may hold. This age may come to an end for any of us, so let our hearts not be filled with fear of what may happen to our mortal bodies, but with the faith that assures us of the certainty of what will happen to our eternal souls. Even let the beginning of the birth pangs bring as many as will choose to humble themselves in trusting faith to enter into the new birth by Your Spirit (John 3:5). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, thank you for praying for us at The Fountain this weekend. We had salvation, healing, and deliverance, with testimonies of God's love and power all night! Come join us whenever you can on the 3rd Friday Night of every month, with believers from the different streams of the River of God in our city, and please keep us in prayer when you can't. I pray the same for you and the moving of God in your city! God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the daily journey of prayer!

Please let me know if you'd like to talk with me about supporting my ministry trip to Africa this summer to preach the gospel and minister the healing love of God to thousands in Kenya: tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org


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Lips and Life Aligned - March 18

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be with me, before me, behind me. Be within me, beneath me, above me. Be on my right and on my left. Be my breadth, length, height, and depth. Be all around me, yet always calling me to more surrender to Your will and trust in Your ways. Be Lord of all my life. …

“Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in Your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in Him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:9-13).

I do call on Your name. I do put my hope and trust in You alone for my salvation. But also let every area of my heart align with the words of my lips. Let me not say one thing and do another; let me not live one way when I’m with some people and another way when I’m with others. Let me be grow in the authenticity of my faith. Let my words reflect with integrity the nature of my heart.

This is the fullness of salvation—to join in the journey every day of continuing to choose the way of Christ. “But in your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:15). That’s not just a prayer one day in a desperate moment of nowhere else to turn—though it can certainly begin there. It’s living a lifestyle of continuing to call on the name of the Lord, continuing to believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that I willingly choose to completely belong to You, out the deepest desires of my heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Lord, let my lips and life be aligned in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays


Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

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St. Patrick’s Prayer and God’s Power - March 17

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy are You, Lord, and worthy of all my praise and all my trust, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I commit this day and my life into Your hands. …

“My speech and my proclamations were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

As You walked this earth, everywhere You went, You were proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God and demonstrating the power of God by the Spirit of God (Acts 10:38). And so we are to follow “in (Your) steps,” with the authority of Your name in our words and the authenticity of Your nature in our hearts (1 Peter 2:21). That’s how You spread the love and power of God revealed in the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God through the apostle Paul. That’s how You spread that same love and power through the life and ministry of Saint Patrick, the evangelist who lead all of Ireland to Christ, with signs and wonders and miracles in the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, while living daily under threats of violence and murder from the pagan kings and their druidic witches. And that’s how You continue spread Your good news to move the hearts of men and women to embrace Your grace and Your love in trusting faith today.

Last night was an exciting night of evangelism in the love and power of the Spirit of God. I was really excited be invited to share the Alpha Course talk on the question “Does God heal today?” with the group from Embrace United Methodist Church in Lexington. They meet Sunday mornings in the old Kentucky Theater down in the heart of the city. And their evangelism team holds their ten week Alpha Course, discussing questions of faith with those who don’t yet believe, next to the bar at Casanova’s Italian Restaurant downtown—literally meeting people where they are, welcome to come as they are. (The owner even let one of the women who works in the bar join our discussion!).

It seemed every story I told seemed to touch some point in the life of one of the women there. I joined with her small group discussion table to pray for her after the talk. As in one of my stories, one of her legs was shorter than the other and she had lots of pain in her crooked hips and back. As we surrounded her in the love of God in prayer, she also began to release some deep emotional pain, as her muscles in her shoulders and back began to relax. In the hands of one of her Alpha friends, as we prayed for healing in the name of Jesus, her leg grew out! All her pain went away!

Though another man wasn’t healed last night from his double vision, his spiritual eyes were drawn closer to You, through the love of God he experienced through his friends, willing to risk disappointment, to pray for him. We’ll keep praying for him too, as Your Word compels us to pray for the healing of one another to be set free from suffering and sickness in the power and authority of Your name (James 5:13-18). I’m so glad we didn’t let disappointment keep us from continuing to pray last night or we would have surely missed the encounter and experience of Your joy as we prayed for the lady who’s leg grew out before our eyes.

So as all of the world join with the Irish to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day today, let them remember Saint Patrick as he truly was. He was a humble man filled with Your Holy Spirit, powerful faith, and a passion for Jesus, who led a nation to Christ, not merely with “plausible words of wisdom,” but with demonstrations of Your miraculous signs and healing power in the love of God. And so should we, in the ways You uniquely lead each of us and with the personality You’ve given each of us (John 20:21; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; John 14:12; Acts 4:30; etc.).

As Saint Patrick, Your healing evangelist and lover of people, passionately prayed: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, my friends! Please keep my friends at Embrace Church, their evangelism team, and their Alpha Course in prayer with me, that every seeker would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior( www.facebook.com/EmbraceChurch ). Please pray for the Alpha Course at my home church, Centenary Church, as well. I'll be excited to give the talks on the Holy Spirit at the weekend retreat on their Course coming up soon ( www.CentenaryLex.org ).

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

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Angels and Men Worshipping God - March 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.  …

“For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten you?’ Or again, ‘I will be His Father and He will be My Son?’ And again, when He brings His firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship Him.’ Of the angels, He says, ‘He makes His angels winds, and His servants flames of fire.’ But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Your Kingdom’” (Hebrews 1:5-8).

I praise You, Lord, for Your holy angels. They move like the wind at the word of Your command and burn with fiery passion, releasing an atmosphere of worship and praise wherever they go. They are “spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (v. 1:14). They war in the heavenly realms against the spiritual forces of wickedness, that Your word and will may reach the hearts and minds of the sons and daughters of men (Daniel 10:13). They are near to Your throne, majestic in beauty, mighty in power, unseen by natural eyes, yet as real and present as the air we breathe.

But in all their beauty and power, they are not God. They bow down and worship the One Who is. They worship You in every dimension of Your being—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And out of their worship, they obey the King of Angels and the King of kings. You stretch forth Your scepter of righteousness and they go forth swiftly to battle for it in the earth, alongside the sons and daughters of God to display the righteousness of God in the earth (2 Corinthians 5:21). You send them forth to guard and protect those who are called by Your name and drawn near to Your Presence (Psalm 91:11-13).

Like the mighty angels, I worship You. We worship You and serve You together, as You send us forth at Your word and command to do Your bidding in the earth. As we minister and war together for You in the spirit on earth, so we will worship together before You in heaven forever and ever (Revelation 7:11). For “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

 

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer as Jennifer Warren leads in worship this month. All are welcome!

 

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“By His Powerful Word” - March 15

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day centered in Christ, embraced by the Father, and filled with the Holy Spirit. …

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by the Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom He also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Lord Jesus, You perfectly reveal the Father’s heart in the Father’s Spirit, for You and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One (John 17:20-23). You sustain all things by Your powerful word. You created the worlds in the power of Your word. And You desire to speak Your word to our hearts to create our lives to be all You’ve intended them to be. We are to listen for Your leading, hear Your voice, and obey Your word (John 10:27). You are the Word of God (John 1:1).

As I wait on Your Spirit to speak Your word, it seems I hear You say: “My son, My son, you are a son of God, created to display My glory through your life. This is My heart for all My children. I in you and you in Me, one in the Spirit, one in the Lord. Yield your will to My will and I will cause your ways to align with My ways. Listen for My voice throughout the moments of your day, and I will say to your heart, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”

Yes, Lord. Make me more sensitive. Help me take time to be more quiet and help me continue that quietness of spirit, attuned to Your Spirit, as I go about my day. I want to follow You, yielded to Your will, walking in Your ways. Correct me when I’m wrong, convict me when I sin, redirect me when stray. I want my journey through this time You’ve given me on earth to honor You and fulfill me.

Only by Your grace can I ever dream to “display (Your) glory” through my life, given all my sins and failures and insecurities along the way (Isaiah 61:3). But I praise God that I have Your grace to cover my sins, redeem my failures, and heal my insecurities as You choose to walk with me through this journey. So I choose, as best as I can and all by Your grace, to listen for Your powerful word and walk in the way that leads to the life You’ve intended for me and continue to create through me—step by step, morning by morning, day by day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Come to the Fountain This Friday Night! March 18th, our Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship with the family of God as one, from many different churches and traditions under the name of Jesus. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters, to be refreshed and renewed in the Presence of God, as we worship Him and welcome Him to heal us and free us in spirit, soul, and body. We meet monthly in the Chapel at Centenary UMC, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, Kentucky at 7 PM. We have various worship leaders from our area lead us in worship each month and I'll be leading in prayer. All are welcome!

To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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