Good morning, Lord Jesus. High and holy One, God Most High—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—be One in me; make me one in You, with Your mind and Your heart, throughout the moments of my day. …
“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).
After Your resurrection, Your disciples rejoiced when they saw You. And they knew it was You because of Your scars. Your hands were scarred by the nails of our sins. Your side was scarred by the pierce of a lance that pierced the heart of the mother who gave You birth as Son of Man in human flesh.
You died and they fled. Fear and shame overwhelmed them. And those who saw the very power of God flow through those hands that would be nailed to a cross, were now trembling in the fear of man and the shame of their lack of courage to stand with You in faith. But You didn’t rebuke them or condemn them. You didn’t turn away from them or abandon them. You came to them. And in their fear and shame You spoke to you’re your words of comfort and peace.
In Your peace, they found forgiveness from their sins, deliverance from their fears, and healing from their shame. In their encounter with the Resurrected Christ, their spirits were resurrected into newness of life and fullness of joy. They “rejoiced when they say the Lord”—their Lord, the Lord of all, the Lord Who conquered the grave, defeated hell, and rose again to empower them to live a resurrected life in You. One encounter with the Resurrected Christ changed their lives forever.
Lord, let me encounter You every day. Let me see the scars You eternally bear for me. Let me remember what Your scars mean for me—the forgiveness, deliverance, and healing of resurrected life in Christ every moment of every day. Neither the worries and fears I may face in the present nor the shame and sin of the failures of my past can keep me from rejoicing in the destiny I have in You. You’ve changed my life forever. And I want to carry and share Your resurrected life wherever I am and to whomever You send me—no fear, no shame, just rejoicing in the fullness of joy I have in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, may you be filled with the fullness of joy of the Resurrected Christ living in You!
Please keep us in prayer, as I fly to Texas tomorrow to lead the Clergy Retreat this weekend with 42 pastors and my great friend Eradio Valverde, District Superintendent of he Corpus Christi District of the United Methodist Church in Southwest Texas (www.ccdistrictumc.org). I've been asked to speak and minister on The Prayer Ministry of a Pastor and I'm very excited for this incredible opportunity to be an encouragement and blessing to these pastors in their ministries. Thank you for all the ways you cover me and our ministry in prayer to be able to make a difference in the Kingdom of God through our Resurrected Christ at home and abroad!
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
“Jesus Himself Came Near” - April 26
Good morning, Lord Jesus. In You, Lord God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—I live and move and have my being. …
“Now on the same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.… They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, Who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since all this took place” (Luke 24:13-21).
How many times do we walk along our journey, discouraged and disappointed because our high hopes have come crashing down? How often does it seem our leaders have betrayed us and the one we thought would be our savior has seemed to abandon us, seemingly unable or unwilling to bring to pass what we’ve desired in our hearts and hoped in prayer?
In those times, our eyes can be so blinded to the truth that You’re right there with us, walking alongside us through all we’re feeling and experiencing. But with deep compassion and concern, You draw us into conversation with You, helping us speak out our pain and put words to our questions to express to You our discouragements and disappointments. You begin to remind us of the truth of Your Word and the faithfulness of Your promises, stirring our hearts to hope again (v. 25-27).
When we take time to open our hearts to You, longing for Your Presence to abide with us, You open our eyes to see we’ve not been alone (v. 28-31). Our hearts begin to burn again with faith and hope and love in the confidence and comfort of knowing You’re always with us, never leaving us nor forsaking us (v. 32). With our passion restored and our focus renewed, we get up and go to share the hope we have in the One Who’s full of resurrection life (v. 33-34). Thank You, Jesus. You are my Savior and the Lord of all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
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“Now on the same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.… They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, Who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since all this took place” (Luke 24:13-21).
How many times do we walk along our journey, discouraged and disappointed because our high hopes have come crashing down? How often does it seem our leaders have betrayed us and the one we thought would be our savior has seemed to abandon us, seemingly unable or unwilling to bring to pass what we’ve desired in our hearts and hoped in prayer?
In those times, our eyes can be so blinded to the truth that You’re right there with us, walking alongside us through all we’re feeling and experiencing. But with deep compassion and concern, You draw us into conversation with You, helping us speak out our pain and put words to our questions to express to You our discouragements and disappointments. You begin to remind us of the truth of Your Word and the faithfulness of Your promises, stirring our hearts to hope again (v. 25-27).
When we take time to open our hearts to You, longing for Your Presence to abide with us, You open our eyes to see we’ve not been alone (v. 28-31). Our hearts begin to burn again with faith and hope and love in the confidence and comfort of knowing You’re always with us, never leaving us nor forsaking us (v. 32). With our passion restored and our focus renewed, we get up and go to share the hope we have in the One Who’s full of resurrection life (v. 33-34). Thank You, Jesus. You are my Savior and the Lord of all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
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Monday, April 25, 2011
The Resurrection Side - April 25
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me live with You on the resurrection side of whatever cross I’ll bear. …
“‘Remember how (Jesus) told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must first be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered His words, and returning from the tomb, they told all of this to the eleven and to all the rest” (Luke 24:6-9).
All that You said came to pass. You knew there would be a day of day of great suffering, but also a day of great joy. Beauty would rise from ashes, sorrow would be turned to dancing, what was sown in tears would be reaped in joy.
On the resurrection side of the tomb, the women remembered Your words of hope You’d sown into their hearts on the suffering side of the cross. In the challenges of a broken, fallen world, we will have our days of disappointment and discouragement. Our plans will not always unfold as we envision in our minds. Rarely is there anything of lasting value that comes easily without trying circumstances that test our faith. And of course, there can never be resurrection with death, just as we can never truly know the heights of joy without the depths of sorrow, nor the brightness of the dawn without the darkness of the night.
Lord, remind me of all You’ve sown into my heart. Let hope arise when I’m tempted to doubt and tested in faith. All that You’ve spoken will come to pass. Not one of Your words will fall to the ground. Give me the grace of persevering trust and tenacious faith. Even when it looks like all has failed, remind me that You’re the redeeming God, Who causes all things—even death on a cross—the work together for good if we keep believing Your words and entrusting ourselves to the One Who’s conquered the grave and lives in our hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, I'm praying for you to live in the hope and joy of the resurrection side of all you've been enduring through whatever seasons of suffering and death you've had to face. On this day after Easter, I'm excited to have my oldest son, Zach come from college to join me in a charity golf scramble to benefit The Refuge for Women, that our ministry encourages and supports in healing prayer ministry (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). My younger sons Elijah and Josiah will be along as caddies. Please pray for sunshine! God bless you and thank you for joining me in the journey of pray.
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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“‘Remember how (Jesus) told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must first be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered His words, and returning from the tomb, they told all of this to the eleven and to all the rest” (Luke 24:6-9).
All that You said came to pass. You knew there would be a day of day of great suffering, but also a day of great joy. Beauty would rise from ashes, sorrow would be turned to dancing, what was sown in tears would be reaped in joy.
On the resurrection side of the tomb, the women remembered Your words of hope You’d sown into their hearts on the suffering side of the cross. In the challenges of a broken, fallen world, we will have our days of disappointment and discouragement. Our plans will not always unfold as we envision in our minds. Rarely is there anything of lasting value that comes easily without trying circumstances that test our faith. And of course, there can never be resurrection with death, just as we can never truly know the heights of joy without the depths of sorrow, nor the brightness of the dawn without the darkness of the night.
Lord, remind me of all You’ve sown into my heart. Let hope arise when I’m tempted to doubt and tested in faith. All that You’ve spoken will come to pass. Not one of Your words will fall to the ground. Give me the grace of persevering trust and tenacious faith. Even when it looks like all has failed, remind me that You’re the redeeming God, Who causes all things—even death on a cross—the work together for good if we keep believing Your words and entrusting ourselves to the One Who’s conquered the grave and lives in our hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, I'm praying for you to live in the hope and joy of the resurrection side of all you've been enduring through whatever seasons of suffering and death you've had to face. On this day after Easter, I'm excited to have my oldest son, Zach come from college to join me in a charity golf scramble to benefit The Refuge for Women, that our ministry encourages and supports in healing prayer ministry (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). My younger sons Elijah and Josiah will be along as caddies. Please pray for sunshine! God bless you and thank you for joining me in the journey of pray.
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Sunday, April 24, 2011
He is Risen in Me! - April 24
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Arise, my soul, arise—Arise into newness of life this Resurrection Day and every day the Resurrected One arises in me. …
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!” (Luke 24:1-5)
The stone has rolled away
All darkness is gone
The light of Your glory
Breaking forth at dawn
You’re alive
You arise
You live inside of me
I have new life
When You arise
And live inside of me
Darkness thought he’d won
Putting to death the Son
But death couldn’t hold
The power of life and love bestowed
Upon the One Who is alive
You’re alive
You arise
You live inside of me
I have new life
When You arise
And live inside of me
Lord Jesus, You’re alive. And You’re life is my life, because You live in me. The same Spirit that raised You from dead is the same Spirit that raises me into newness of life every day (Romans 8:11).
This Resurrection Day is world-wide display of Your victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of forgiveness over sin, of hope over despair, of all that is to come over all that has been. For great is glory and mighty is Your name. You have risen in the earth and You have risen in me! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
God bless you and Happy Easter on this day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ!
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“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!” (Luke 24:1-5)
The stone has rolled away
All darkness is gone
The light of Your glory
Breaking forth at dawn
You’re alive
You arise
You live inside of me
I have new life
When You arise
And live inside of me
Darkness thought he’d won
Putting to death the Son
But death couldn’t hold
The power of life and love bestowed
Upon the One Who is alive
You’re alive
You arise
You live inside of me
I have new life
When You arise
And live inside of me
Lord Jesus, You’re alive. And You’re life is my life, because You live in me. The same Spirit that raised You from dead is the same Spirit that raises me into newness of life every day (Romans 8:11).
This Resurrection Day is world-wide display of Your victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of forgiveness over sin, of hope over despair, of all that is to come over all that has been. For great is glory and mighty is Your name. You have risen in the earth and You have risen in me! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
God bless you and Happy Easter on this day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ!
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
Perversion of Justice into the Righteousness of God - April 21
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I stand amazed in Your Presence; I bow low in honor of Your mercy; and I draw near in response to Your love. …
“Then (Pilate) answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ For he realized it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify Him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify Him!’ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified” (Mark 15:9-15).
It wasn’t right they rejected Your life and dishonored Your name.
It wasn’t right they perverted justice and condemned an innocent Man to die.
It wasn’t right they betrayed Your trust, scorned Your love and despised Your grace.
It wasn’t right they stripped Your honor, mocked Your glory and inflicted Your pain.
It wasn’t right they would receive Your mercy and grace as You hung on their cross.
… And mine.
Nothing about it was right. And yet, it was all perfectly right, because it was all within Your eternal plan to lay down Your life for us as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, once for all, that we might live forever with You. “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
As Your Spirit declared through the prophecy of Isaiah eight hundred years before it happened: “He was despised and rejected by others; a Man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; as One from whom others hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him of no account…. He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed…. By a perversion of justice He was taken away… although He had done no violence and there was no deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the will of God to crush Him with pain ... because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:3-12).
In Your perfect righteousness You redeemed this greatest perversion of justice. In the form of Christ, You set aside the glory of heaven to humble Yourself in human flesh and blood to bear our sins for us on the cross, so that we could be forever cleansed of all the jealousy, selfishness, and pride in our hearts that nailed You there (Philippians 2:5-8).
Pilate was wrong; the chief priests were wrong; the crowds were wrong. Yet, in the power of the blood of Jesus, their wrongs were redeemed to fulfill all righteousness. “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are the King of the Jews and the King of all. You are the King who came down off Your throne to be nailed to a cross out of Your love for me and for all, longing for us to allow You to be King of our hearts. You are my King who turned this perversion of justice into the righteousness of God. And I honor You with my thanksgiving and love for You this day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
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www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“Then (Pilate) answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ For he realized it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify Him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify Him!’ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified” (Mark 15:9-15).
It wasn’t right they rejected Your life and dishonored Your name.
It wasn’t right they perverted justice and condemned an innocent Man to die.
It wasn’t right they betrayed Your trust, scorned Your love and despised Your grace.
It wasn’t right they stripped Your honor, mocked Your glory and inflicted Your pain.
It wasn’t right they would receive Your mercy and grace as You hung on their cross.
… And mine.
Nothing about it was right. And yet, it was all perfectly right, because it was all within Your eternal plan to lay down Your life for us as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, once for all, that we might live forever with You. “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
As Your Spirit declared through the prophecy of Isaiah eight hundred years before it happened: “He was despised and rejected by others; a Man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; as One from whom others hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him of no account…. He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed…. By a perversion of justice He was taken away… although He had done no violence and there was no deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the will of God to crush Him with pain ... because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:3-12).
In Your perfect righteousness You redeemed this greatest perversion of justice. In the form of Christ, You set aside the glory of heaven to humble Yourself in human flesh and blood to bear our sins for us on the cross, so that we could be forever cleansed of all the jealousy, selfishness, and pride in our hearts that nailed You there (Philippians 2:5-8).
Pilate was wrong; the chief priests were wrong; the crowds were wrong. Yet, in the power of the blood of Jesus, their wrongs were redeemed to fulfill all righteousness. “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are the King of the Jews and the King of all. You are the King who came down off Your throne to be nailed to a cross out of Your love for me and for all, longing for us to allow You to be King of our hearts. You are my King who turned this perversion of justice into the righteousness of God. And I honor You with my thanksgiving and love for You this day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Jesus was “I Am” - April 20
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re my Father, my Friend, and my Faithful Companion. I love You because You first loved me. I welcome You into my life because You first welcomed me into Your world. Guide my steps and direct my path, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit today and every day. …
“‘Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I Am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:56-59).
You claimed to be “I Am”—the Everlasting, Eternal God, Who appeared to Moses in the wilderness and Who created the universe long before calling Abraham to be set apart to birth a chosen people to become known as the Jews and a light to the nations (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 49:6). You claimed to be the Messiah of Israel, humbling Yourself as God Almighty clothed in human flesh as the Anointed One and Savior of the world.
But the religious leaders in their self-righteous, self-centered, religious hearts could not hear it or bear it: “So the Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you plainly, and you do not believe…. The Father and I are One.’ The Jews took up stones again to stone Him…. The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone You, but for blasphemy, because You, though only a human being, are making Yourself God.’ Jesus answered, ‘… the Father is in Me and I Am in the Father.’ Then they tried to arrest Him again, but He escaped from their hands” (John 10:24-39).
They wanted to stone You to death for claiming to be God. But You had already determined before the foundation of the world that You would willingly choose to embrace the suffering and shame of a cross in Your eternal sacrifice of love on our behalf. You said, “I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). Only when they saw You crucified and raised again would their eyes be open to see the truth of Who You were and Who You showed Yourself to be: “So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I Am He’” (John 8:28).
By grace, You’ve opened my eyes to see Who You are. You are the Messiah, the Christ, the Holy One of God, both Son of God and Son of Man, the Word made flesh, One God in Three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—“the Alpha and the Omega… the Lord God, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). And by faith I believe You laid down Your life for me on the cross in a sacrifice of love I can’t begin to fully understand, but in humility and gratitude choose to receive. Let no self-righteousness or self-centered pride keep me from fully embracing Your great gift of mercy and love for me and for all who choose to believe. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
As we remember the journey of Jesus to the cross this Holy Week, may the Holy Spirit fill you afresh with a true passion for Christ as we embrace the gift of His passion for us. God bless you, my friend! Please pass along these prayers to any of your friends who may be encouraged by them in their journey of faith.
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www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“‘Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I Am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:56-59).
You claimed to be “I Am”—the Everlasting, Eternal God, Who appeared to Moses in the wilderness and Who created the universe long before calling Abraham to be set apart to birth a chosen people to become known as the Jews and a light to the nations (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 49:6). You claimed to be the Messiah of Israel, humbling Yourself as God Almighty clothed in human flesh as the Anointed One and Savior of the world.
But the religious leaders in their self-righteous, self-centered, religious hearts could not hear it or bear it: “So the Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you plainly, and you do not believe…. The Father and I are One.’ The Jews took up stones again to stone Him…. The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone You, but for blasphemy, because You, though only a human being, are making Yourself God.’ Jesus answered, ‘… the Father is in Me and I Am in the Father.’ Then they tried to arrest Him again, but He escaped from their hands” (John 10:24-39).
They wanted to stone You to death for claiming to be God. But You had already determined before the foundation of the world that You would willingly choose to embrace the suffering and shame of a cross in Your eternal sacrifice of love on our behalf. You said, “I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). Only when they saw You crucified and raised again would their eyes be open to see the truth of Who You were and Who You showed Yourself to be: “So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I Am He’” (John 8:28).
By grace, You’ve opened my eyes to see Who You are. You are the Messiah, the Christ, the Holy One of God, both Son of God and Son of Man, the Word made flesh, One God in Three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—“the Alpha and the Omega… the Lord God, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). And by faith I believe You laid down Your life for me on the cross in a sacrifice of love I can’t begin to fully understand, but in humility and gratitude choose to receive. Let no self-righteousness or self-centered pride keep me from fully embracing Your great gift of mercy and love for me and for all who choose to believe. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
As we remember the journey of Jesus to the cross this Holy Week, may the Holy Spirit fill you afresh with a true passion for Christ as we embrace the gift of His passion for us. God bless you, my friend! Please pass along these prayers to any of your friends who may be encouraged by them in their journey of faith.
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Greatest Deed of Power - April 19
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me follow You wherever You lead me today. …
“As (Jesus) rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As He was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” (Luke 19:36-38)
The multitudes praised You for Your deeds of power. But they couldn’t see that the source of Your deeds was the power of Your love. And when the day would come when You were no longer moving the power they praised, their praises of “Bless him as a king!” would soon turn to “Crucify him like a thief!” (v. 23:21) You saw their true hearts hidden from their own eyes, as You wept over them, crying out to them: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…. you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God” (v. 19:42-44). Yet You loved them still, and continued Your journey to the cross.
The deeds of Your power came out of the heart of Your love. And You were willing to die a shameful death for souls everyone of them—for those who would praise, for those who would judge you, and for those who would do both, depending on the pressure of their peers and the mood of the crowd. They didn’t have eyes to see that You were never for powerful than when You willing chose to be crucified in weakness. And the greatest deed of power was the power of Your love. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
I praise You, Lord Jesus, for all Your deeds of power in my life—for saving me, for healing me, for freeing me, for changing me. And I praise You for the power of Your love displayed in every deed of Your power—especially the deed of Your power over two thousand years ago when You willingly chose to lay down Your life for me on a cross. Let me not be swayed by the crowds or intimidated by my peers to turn away and deny Your love. Let me be found faithful to You, forever praising You for Your faithfulness to me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“As (Jesus) rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As He was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” (Luke 19:36-38)
The multitudes praised You for Your deeds of power. But they couldn’t see that the source of Your deeds was the power of Your love. And when the day would come when You were no longer moving the power they praised, their praises of “Bless him as a king!” would soon turn to “Crucify him like a thief!” (v. 23:21) You saw their true hearts hidden from their own eyes, as You wept over them, crying out to them: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…. you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God” (v. 19:42-44). Yet You loved them still, and continued Your journey to the cross.
The deeds of Your power came out of the heart of Your love. And You were willing to die a shameful death for souls everyone of them—for those who would praise, for those who would judge you, and for those who would do both, depending on the pressure of their peers and the mood of the crowd. They didn’t have eyes to see that You were never for powerful than when You willing chose to be crucified in weakness. And the greatest deed of power was the power of Your love. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
I praise You, Lord Jesus, for all Your deeds of power in my life—for saving me, for healing me, for freeing me, for changing me. And I praise You for the power of Your love displayed in every deed of Your power—especially the deed of Your power over two thousand years ago when You willingly chose to lay down Your life for me on a cross. Let me not be swayed by the crowds or intimidated by my peers to turn away and deny Your love. Let me be found faithful to You, forever praising You for Your faithfulness to me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Monday, April 18, 2011
Untrained and Untested, but Needed - April 18
Good morning, Lord Jesus. More of You and less of me; more of Your will and less of mine. I’ve come to know that You know best. …
“When He had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it? Just say this, ‘The Lord needs it’” (Luke 19:29-31).
The colt had never been ridden. He had no prior experience and no prior training for the incredible honor and responsibility that was to come that day in the fullness of time and in the fulfillment of his destiny. But this colt was created to carry the King of kings and Lord of lords into Jerusalem for the Holy Week before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
And not only did You create him and choose him, Your Word also says You had need of him. In the mystery of the sovereignty of God, the Creator of the universe needed this donkey to fully accomplish Your purposes. And there he was, tied up and untested, but available and ready to be used at just the right time for just the right task.
As we enter in to this Holy Week, I want to remember that You’ve created me and chosen me with calling and purpose and destiny, like all Your children (Ephesians 2:10). I may feel inadequate and insecure, untrained and untested for all that You’ve purposed in Your heart to accomplish through my life. But I want to be available and ready, whenever the times may come that You choose to have need of me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“When He had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it? Just say this, ‘The Lord needs it’” (Luke 19:29-31).
The colt had never been ridden. He had no prior experience and no prior training for the incredible honor and responsibility that was to come that day in the fullness of time and in the fulfillment of his destiny. But this colt was created to carry the King of kings and Lord of lords into Jerusalem for the Holy Week before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
And not only did You create him and choose him, Your Word also says You had need of him. In the mystery of the sovereignty of God, the Creator of the universe needed this donkey to fully accomplish Your purposes. And there he was, tied up and untested, but available and ready to be used at just the right time for just the right task.
As we enter in to this Holy Week, I want to remember that You’ve created me and chosen me with calling and purpose and destiny, like all Your children (Ephesians 2:10). I may feel inadequate and insecure, untrained and untested for all that You’ve purposed in Your heart to accomplish through my life. But I want to be available and ready, whenever the times may come that You choose to have need of me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Thursday, April 14, 2011
O Glorious Day! - April 14
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Almighty God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—You are mighty to save, mighty to forgive, mighty to heal, mighty to love, and mighty to lead me through whatever I will encounter and experience today with You. …
“Some sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners in misery and irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down with no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress, He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder! Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron!” (Psalm 107:10-16)
I thank You, Lord, for letting me see Your mighty power to change lives in front of my eyes. We drove away from the little farm house at the Refuge for Women last night at midnight, having prayed for the last woman, set free from a spirit of destruction. What an awesome end to a glorious day! What a day of Your power and might and love we saw. A young woman came to faith in Christ. Another was delivered from demonic oppression crushing her spirit and then filled with joy. Two had miraculous healing in their bodies and freedom from chronic pain. Many experienced deep emotional healing from years of sexual abuse and self-rejection. And all that was as You were equipping and teaching us how to pray for healing and freedom of spirit, soul, and body in the power of Your love and the name of Jesus.
We started the day singing the song, “O Glorious Day!” And by the end of the day, we couldn’t wait to sing it again in high praises of Your glorious name! I can’t wait to go out this morning to see what You have for us today. You are mighty to save all who will humble themselves to cry out to You in our trouble and call on Your name in trusting faith.
You love to shatter the doors of bronze and cut in two the bars of iron. You long to deliver us from darkness and gloom to break our chains of bondage to everything that would hold us back and shut us down from all You created us to be. With the Father’s heart, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, You love to heal the broken and set the captives free. Praise Your holy name! In You, every day is glorious day! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, Thank you for your prayers! Please keep us in prayer today, as we go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team, leadership team, and women in residence. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we've received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“Some sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners in misery and irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down with no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress, He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder! Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron!” (Psalm 107:10-16)
I thank You, Lord, for letting me see Your mighty power to change lives in front of my eyes. We drove away from the little farm house at the Refuge for Women last night at midnight, having prayed for the last woman, set free from a spirit of destruction. What an awesome end to a glorious day! What a day of Your power and might and love we saw. A young woman came to faith in Christ. Another was delivered from demonic oppression crushing her spirit and then filled with joy. Two had miraculous healing in their bodies and freedom from chronic pain. Many experienced deep emotional healing from years of sexual abuse and self-rejection. And all that was as You were equipping and teaching us how to pray for healing and freedom of spirit, soul, and body in the power of Your love and the name of Jesus.
We started the day singing the song, “O Glorious Day!” And by the end of the day, we couldn’t wait to sing it again in high praises of Your glorious name! I can’t wait to go out this morning to see what You have for us today. You are mighty to save all who will humble themselves to cry out to You in our trouble and call on Your name in trusting faith.
You love to shatter the doors of bronze and cut in two the bars of iron. You long to deliver us from darkness and gloom to break our chains of bondage to everything that would hold us back and shut us down from all You created us to be. With the Father’s heart, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, You love to heal the broken and set the captives free. Praise Your holy name! In You, every day is glorious day! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, Thank you for your prayers! Please keep us in prayer today, as we go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team, leadership team, and women in residence. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we've received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
“To Seek Out and To Save” - April 13
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Resurrection and the Life. Come live in me and live through me today. …
“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 10:10).
You didn’t just wait for the lost to come to You. You went to them. You sought them out. You didn’t judge them or shame them; You reached out to them, speaking the truth in the love of God with them. And they heard what You said because they saw what You lived.
It seems Your ministry was not limited to building a nice building or preparing a beautiful service of worship in a welcoming atmosphere. You spoke in the synagogues, but You also searched in the streets. Love compelled You. Mercy overwhelmed You. You wanted all to know they were loved by God, created for a life of so much more than they knew.
And we are Your Body. We have Your Spirit. So let us not merely sit back in our buildings and services, waiting for the lost to find us. Let love compel us to go seek them out, for them to see Your heart in us for them. At work, at school, next door, in the store—open our eyes to see them, our hearts to love them, and our mouths to share with them the saving love of God. Just like somebody shared Your love with us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, please keep me in prayer this week, as I go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team and leadership team. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we’ve received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 10:10).
You didn’t just wait for the lost to come to You. You went to them. You sought them out. You didn’t judge them or shame them; You reached out to them, speaking the truth in the love of God with them. And they heard what You said because they saw what You lived.
It seems Your ministry was not limited to building a nice building or preparing a beautiful service of worship in a welcoming atmosphere. You spoke in the synagogues, but You also searched in the streets. Love compelled You. Mercy overwhelmed You. You wanted all to know they were loved by God, created for a life of so much more than they knew.
And we are Your Body. We have Your Spirit. So let us not merely sit back in our buildings and services, waiting for the lost to find us. Let love compel us to go seek them out, for them to see Your heart in us for them. At work, at school, next door, in the store—open our eyes to see them, our hearts to love them, and our mouths to share with them the saving love of God. Just like somebody shared Your love with us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Friends, please keep me in prayer this week, as I go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team and leadership team. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we’ve received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
“The Help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” - April 12
Good morning, Lord Jesus. How I need You every hour—from the first moment to the last moment and every moment in between. …
“Yes, I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:18-21).
I thank You for the prayers of my friends who lift me up to You. And I thank You for the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ at work within me, guiding me and empowering me to try to live a life that honors You. I need the power of Your grace to keep me from failing, and I need the power of Your grace to forgive me when I do.
As the choices of my life have proven so many times, I am powerless to live the life You desire for me without You. And I thank You that I never have to be without You, that You are always at work within me, forming Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, conforming my character to Your nature (John 15:4). Thank You for Your patience with me in this life-long process, with breakthroughs in the power of Your grace along the way. “For it is God Who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
O how I need You every hour. And O how You hear my cry and answer my prayer and the prayers of those who love me in the power of Your grace to keep me on the journey. This is my eager expectation and hope in the help of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer!
Friends, please keep me in prayer this week, as I go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team and leadership team. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we've received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“Yes, I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:18-21).
I thank You for the prayers of my friends who lift me up to You. And I thank You for the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ at work within me, guiding me and empowering me to try to live a life that honors You. I need the power of Your grace to keep me from failing, and I need the power of Your grace to forgive me when I do.
As the choices of my life have proven so many times, I am powerless to live the life You desire for me without You. And I thank You that I never have to be without You, that You are always at work within me, forming Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, conforming my character to Your nature (John 15:4). Thank You for Your patience with me in this life-long process, with breakthroughs in the power of Your grace along the way. “For it is God Who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
O how I need You every hour. And O how You hear my cry and answer my prayer and the prayers of those who love me in the power of Your grace to keep me on the journey. This is my eager expectation and hope in the help of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
Thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer!
Friends, please keep me in prayer this week, as I go out to the Refuge for Women to teach our School of Spiritual Ministry with their prayer team and leadership team. This is a powerful ministry dedicated to the rescue of women from the adult entertainment industry, to help them find Jesus and be equipped to live a life that honors Him in the power of His Spirit (www.RefugeForWomen.org ). And like our ministry in many places at home and abroad, Your prayers and financial support for Messiah Ministries enable us to minister to others who need our help. Freely we've received and freely we give. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in our ministry together to those who need to know the healing love of God in Jesus Christ ( www.messiah-ministries.org ).
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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Monday, April 11, 2011
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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“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!
Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
Give to the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
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Friday, April 08, 2011
“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!
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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“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!
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Thursday, April 07, 2011
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
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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“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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Wednesday, April 06, 2011
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.
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
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“‘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.
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
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
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
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“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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Monday, April 04, 2011
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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“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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Friday, April 01, 2011
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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"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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Thursday, March 31, 2011
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."
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
“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."
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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!
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
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!
To Subscribe: www.messiah-ministries.org/home
To Reply: TommyHays@messiah-ministries.org
To Order our Resources: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources
To Join in the Vision and Calling of Messiah Ministries:
www.messiah-ministries.org/partner/contribute
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