Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Friday, February 03, 2012

"In the Shadow of the Almighty" - February 2

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord; and I thank You for first loving me. ...

"You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust' " (Psalm 91:1-2).

I want to live every moment of every day in the shelter of the Most High. I want to continually abide in the shadow of the Almighty. That's where I belong; that's where I am strong. That's where I am safe and secure, connected in communion, dwelling in the depths of Your love and power. You are my refuge; You are my fortress. You are my God, in whom I trust.

This week we've been teaching and experiencing the transforming power of Your healing and deliverance at our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry. These are some of my favorite times of ministry - to be learning and growing in an atmosphere of hunger for more of You and more of Your impartation and activation of the spiritual gifts You're awakening within us to minister the power of Your love in the authority of Your name. Every class is different and we never know what to expect, as we learn Your principles of the Kingdom of God and see You demonstrate them in our lives in Your power.

But all that we learn and all that we experience is really just a way to draw closer to You. It's in Your Presence that we are safe and healed and free. It's in the deep communion of our human spirits with Your Holy Spirit that we are anointed and empowered to be the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, moved by Your love in the ministry of Christ. So draw me closer today than ever before; and help me lead others into that deep place in Your shelter and under Your shadow. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I begin teaching our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry this week! We also offer this Course in other communities, so please let us know if your church or group would like us to come. We also have Level 1 and Level 2 from past sessions on DVD: www.messiah-ministries.org/resources

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

"Commander of the Army of the Lord" - February 1

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit. Be near, Heavenly Father. ...

"Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a Man standing before him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are You one of us, or one of our adversaries?' He replied, 'Neither; but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and he said to Him, 'What do You command Your servant, my Lord?' " (Joshua 5:13-14).

Lord Jesus, You are the Commander of the army of the Lord. You are our Commander in Chief; we are Your army-an army of servants and sons, worshippers and warriors, the children of God in human flesh, sent forth to advance Your Kingdom at Your command.

Lord, what is Your command for me today?

As I watch and wait, Your Spirit is bringing Your Word to mind: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask Him in My name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another" (John 15:12-17).

There are battles to fight and cities to take (Joshua 6:20). And everywhere You send us to set the soles of our feet in the physical realm and to touch with the power of our prayers in the spiritual realm is ground You have already given into our hands, if we will trust You and obey You (Joshua 1:3). Yet these battles are fought and these cities are taken through the power of love - loving You, loving one another, willing to lay down our lives for Your sake and for the sake of one another. Learning to choose full surrender to You and self-sacrifice for others is our training and commission for this spiritual war (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

This is Your command to Your army. These are our marching orders and our battle plan. These are the weapons of our warfare and the assurance of our victory. As You have with every army in every generation, You call us to battle and spur us on to victory with this command: "I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

And with You armies of old, we respond to Your command: "All that You have commanded us we will do, and wherever You send us we will go" (Joshua 1:16). "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle" (Psalm 144:1). May we arise and go into battle today with these weapons of our warfare in the power of Your love - proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free (Isaiah 61:1). Trusting and obedient, strong courageous, may we advance today at Your command. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries. Request the dvd's to watch from Level 1 and you can still attend Level 2. Some partial scholarships are available so all can attend and be trained.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Shield of Faith and Breastplate Prayer - January 31

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - You are a mighty God, merciful and forgiving, faithful and true, holy and loving are You. ...

"When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this is I know, because God is for me" (Psalm 56:9, NKJ).

You are for me, O God. And if God be for me, who can be against me? You are my Advocate, my Champion, my Best Friend. You are mighty to save, gracious to forgive, and ready to answer when I cry out to You and call on Your name.

When You arise, my enemies are scattered. When You move mightily on my behalf, my spirit is confident in the security of my God. This I know. Of this, I am sure.

Great is Your faithfulness; mighty is Your power; deep is Your love. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). You are my shield of faith before me (Ephesians 6:16). And You are my rear guard behind me (Isaiah 52:12).

In the knowledge and faith of Your Presence ever with me - before me, behind me, all around me and within me - I join in St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer today:

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation....

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Monday, January 30, 2012

"My Word Will Come True" - January 30

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the center of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. ...

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not' " (Numbers 11:23).

Lord, Your power is not limited. And every one of Your words will come true. Forgive me for doubting or giving in to discouragement. Fill me with faith that doesn't waiver or grow weary. Your promises are "Yes and amen." Your word goes forth and does not return void, but always accomplishes that to which You have purposed. You watch over Your word to perform it, for all that You have said will certainly come to pass (Jeremiah 1:12).

We came together as an expression of Your city-wide Church this weekend for our Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit. We welcomed You and worshipped You. We listened for Your voice and declared Your praises. And You reminded us of Your heart for our city and Your words for Your people to be anointed and empowered by Your Spirit to be Your Body in the spheres of influence You've entrusted to us.

Lord, let us not take Your words and put them on a shelf as if You may not have the will or the power to bring them to pass. What You have revealed, You have instilled. What You have proclaimed, You have imparted.

By the power of the grace of God: We will be a city full of mercy with the Father's heart. We will be a city of light, set on a hill, where streams of living water flow to bring life to all it touches. We will be a place of healing and deliverance, marked by unity of the Body in the bonds of the Spirit, welcoming all who are weary, thirsty, and weak to come and embrace the Father's heart. We will see breakthroughs and turnarounds in this year, as the atmosphere continues to shift into governmental order in the spiritual realm. Lord, let it be so in each of us personally and all of us corporately as Your Body in our city. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

Friday, January 27, 2012

"Taught by the Spirit" - January 27

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Be King and Lord of every moment of my day and every day of my life. ...

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

I want to be "taught by the Spirit." I want to be a spiritual person, receiving and growing in the grace of Your spiritual gifts and spiritual nature. Free me from the wisdom and judgments of this world that ridicule and mock as foolishness the things of the Spirit. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).

If we are to be guided by the Spirit, we must continually grow in the understanding of Your spiritual truths and spiritual ways. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

Let me not be intimidated by the pressures and judgments of a world that only sees and discerns by the natural senses of the flesh. Awaken and enlarge my capacity to see and discern by the Spirit. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But (we) are not in the flesh; (we) are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in (us)" (Romans 8:5-9). Teach me and guide me, Holy Spirit of God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Listen and Give Heed - January 26

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You in spirit and seek You in truth; I wait on You with hunger and trust in You by faith. I want to start this new day rooted and grounded in Your Word, firmly secure in Your love, and in deep communion with Your Spirit. ...

"Listen to Me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.... Listen to Me, My people, and give heed to Me, My nation; for a teaching will go out from Me, and My justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near My deliverance swiftly, My salvation has gone out and My arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for Me and for My arm they hope.... My salvation will be forever, and My deliverance will never be ended" (Isaiah 51:1-6).

O Lord, My God, stir up my spirit to pursue righteousness. Stir up the spirit of my city, my nation, my people to pursue righteousness - to be right with You, right with one another, right within ourselves. Move us and enable us to listen to You, to give heed to You. May we embrace Your teaching and enforce Your justice. May we be expectant in Your hope. And may we see Your swift deliverance and experience the fullness of Your salvation.

Stretch forth Your arm to rule and Your hand to heal. Send forth Your Spirit to awaken us and empower us to be all You've created and called us to be. "Awake, awake; put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago! ...So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sadness shall flee away!" (v. 51:9-11)

Yes, Lord; let it be so in me and in my land, in our generation, as in the generations of long ago. And yet, let it be so in our generation as never before. "But as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him' - these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Coach D will speak and lead us in prayer on Fatherhood. Margaret Therkelsen, author and spiritual mother in our city, will be speaking and leading us in prayer Friday Night. Bishop Morton of Frankfort and the State-wide Prayer Movement, with other prayer leaders and worship leaders will lead us throughout the weekend. All are welcome! Please spread the word! (Flyer Below)
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

"From the Womb of the Morning" - January 25

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open the door of my heart and yield to Your - embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit - as I begin the journey of this day with You, O Lord, my God. ...

"The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes. Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces in holy splendor. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, 'You are a priest forever according the Order of Melchizedek' " (Psalm 110:2-4).

Your Spirit spoke these words to King David and through him to the coming Messiah-the mighty King and the holy Priest. And now, in Christ, our Messiah, we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that (we) might proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

As we come into the place of communion in prayer at the beginning of our day, into "the womb of the morning," You draw Your forces together in holy splendor. You align us and empower us - all who offer themselves willingly to Your plans and purposes for our day. Through us, You stretch out Your mighty hand and through us You speak forth Your mighty word, for we are "the Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are filled with "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9). And we continue the ministry of Christ (John 20:21). Lead us today into the battles You choose in the power of Your love, as a mighty army, arrayed in holy splendor, to proclaim Your mighty acts. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A City for God - January 24

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. Abide in me as I abide in You. You are the Vine and I am one of Your branches; let the life of Your Spirit flow into me and through me to bear fruit of Your Spirit through my life today. ...

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you ..." (Jeremiah 29:7).

You've sent me to different cities in the different seasons of my life. When I think back on the events I've experienced, the encounters I've had, and the relationships I've known, I often relate them to the cities where I've lived. Each has been very different. And so are the things You accomplished in me and through me in each of those cities. And of course, Your Holy Spirit was not the only spirit trying to accomplish things in me and through me in those cities either. But You have caused it all to work together for good, as You've given me the grace to keep responding to Your love and following Your call, according to Your purposes (Romans 8:28).

For a long season now, You've had me here in the city of Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding region. Here I've grown in the Spirit and battled in the flesh; here I've mourned times of great sorrow and sadness and experienced great heights of joy; here I've received great ministry of healing and freedom, and You've taught me how to minister that same healing and freedom to others in Your name and by Your power.

Several years ago, You gave me a great burden for this city and the unction of the Holy Spirit to call others to pray "for the welfare of the city" where You have strategically positioned us for this season of our lives. We put out the word to the intercessors and prayer warriors and watchmen on the walls of the city to come together at the beginning of the year to seek Your face and listen for Your voice to hear Your heart for our city in the coming year. We've been doing this for five years now, as we come together in unity, stand firm in the faith, and move forward in the Spirit to advance Your Kingdom in these spheres of influence You've entrusted to us.

Be with us this weekend for our 2012 Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit. Help us humble ourselves to seek Your face, call on Your name, and return to Your ways on behalf of ourselves and our city, as far as Your grace will go, as You come to strengthen our hearts and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Together, let us fulfill our calling to be a city for God, with the Father's heart of mercy and love, shining forth the light of Christ through the hearts of Your people (Matthew 5:14). As this city where You have sent us for this season prospers in Spirit, so will we; "... for in its welfare (we) will find (our) welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit

January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Margaret Therkelsen, author and spiritual mother in our city, will be speaking and leading us in prayer Friday Night. Bishop Morton of Frankfort and the State-wide Prayer Movement, with other prayer leaders and worship leaders throughout the weekend. All are welcome! Please spread the word! (Flyer Below)
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries. Request the dvd's to watch from Level 1 and you can still attend Level 2. Some partial scholarships are available so all can attend and be trained.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Monday, January 23, 2012

"Pure in Heart" - January 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, fill my spirit, soul, and body with the fullness of Your Presence in the intimacy of communion with You in prayer. ...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).

The "pure in heart" are those whose sins have been forgiven by the mercy of God through the blood of Jesus. But the meaning of the original language also speaks of those whose hearts have been cleansed as though "purified by fire" or prepared "like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear more fruit" (katharos, Strong's Lexicon).

Purify my heart, Lord. Give me the grace to keep giving my heart to You, allowing You to cleanse it, heal it, purify it, and prepare it to bear the fruit of Your Spirit through my life today and every day. Help me embrace Your pruning, with a heart full of hope for all the good things to come. I want to be one of those who see God, one of those who are pure in heart - not just when I go to heaven when I die, but as Your bring Your heaven into my heart every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Margaret Therkelsen, author and spiritual mother in our city, will be speaking and leading us in prayer Friday Night. Bishop Morton of Frankfort and the State-wide Prayer Movement, with other prayer leaders and worship leaders throughout the weekend. All are welcome! Please spread the word!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar
Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries. Request the dvd's to watch from Level 1 and you can still attend Level 2. Some partial scholarships are available so all can attend and be trained.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Key to "Well-Being" - January 19

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; I want to see You. Open the ears of my spirit; I want to hear You. I'm watching; I'm waiting in the silence of surrender to sense Your leading in these first moments of my morning. ...

"So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Keep His statues and His commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time" (Deuteronomy 4:39-40).

I look to You. I acknowledge You. You are God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. You are my Creator. You are my Lord and Savior. You are the Ruler of this universe and the Sovereign One over my life. You know what is best for "(my) own well-being." You know the way for me to "long remain in the land" of the promises and blessings that You have prepared for me through my identity and destiny in You. And that way is to trust in Your nature and obey Your commands.

What is Your nature? What are Your commands? They are both revealed in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us - the One who is Love, the One who perfectly walks in Love, and the One who calls us to follow You in that walk and expression of Your nature: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.... I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another" (John 15:12-17).

My health, my "well-being" in spirit, soul, and body, is dependent upon my obedience to Your command to love. My possession of Your promises for my identity and my destiny is dependent upon my obedience to Your command to love. Lord Jesus, You said, "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love" (John 15:9-10). Teach me, lead me, and empower me to abide in Your love in obedience to Your command. I know I can't do that apart from You and Your Spirit abiding in me, but "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, Jan 20th at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship on the 3rd Friday of every month. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit and the loving embrace of the Father heart of God. Andrew Eberheart from Asbury will be leading in worship, while Sylvia and I will be leading in prayer and ministry this month. All are welcome! Please come and spread the word!

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries. Request the dvd's to watch from Level 1 and you can still attend Level 2. Some partial scholarships are available so all can attend and be trained.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

"Complacent in the Land" - January 18

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit.
Lord God Almighty, You are One and You are holy. You are Love and You love me. So
as best as I can and all by Your grace, I love You and seek You with all my heart
and all my soul. ...

"When you have had children and children's children, and become complacent in the
land, if you act corruptly by making an idol in the form of anything, thus doing
evil in the sight of the Lord your God, thus provoking Him to anger, I call heaven
and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from the
land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy; you will not live long on it, but
be utterly destroyed.... From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will
find Him if you search after Him will all your heart and soul" (Deuteronomy 4:25-29).

Lord, forgive me and forgive us, as Your people in the families and cities and nations
where You have positioned us, where we have become complacent in the land. Forgive
us where we have made idols of people and things instead of seeking first Your Kingdom
and Your righteousness, trusting You to provide all that we need in Your time and
in Your way. Forgive us where we've grown passive and lazy, dependent upon our government
or our employment or other people to provide for our needs and fulfill our desires.
Pour out a Spirit of repentance and awakening upon us, O God - in our hearts and
in our land.

Lord, continue to call us to return to You. We can't do it ourselves, in our own
will power alone. It's not by our might or our power, but by Your Spirit. But we
can come into agreement with Your Word and in cooperation with Your Spirit to awaken
and arise and search after You again with all our heart and all our soul, holding
nothing back.

And as we awaken and arise - even if it's only a remnant who will on behalf of all
- we thank You for Your promise: "In your distress, when all these things have happened
to you in time to come, you will return to the Lord your God and heed Him. Because
the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will neither abandon you nor destroy you;
He will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that He swore to them" (v. 4:30-31).

All that happened to Israel, the people of Your covenant, is an example to us to
understand Your spiritual principles of trust and obedience, judgment and mercy,
repentance and forgiveness (1 Corinthians 10:6). And under our covenant of grace
in Christ, grounded in Your covenant of mercy with Israel, You still call us to
trust and obedience, as the measure and expression of our love: "If you keep My
commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have keep My Father's commandments
and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in
you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:10-11).

Lord, help us trust You and obey You. Help us awaken and arise and return to You.
Help us embrace Your Spirit with a fervent passion to search after You again will
all our heart and soul. Release a Spirit of obedience; free us from the spirit of
complacency and the spirit of idolatry. Deliver us from evil and fill us afresh
with Your Holy Spirit, so that Your joy may be in us and our joy may be complete.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night, Jan 20th at 7 pm for our Messiah Ministries
monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship on the 3rd Friday
of every month. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship
Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit and the loving embrace of the Father heart
of God. Andrew Eberheart from Asbury will be leading in worship, while Sylvia and
I will be leading in prayer and ministry this month. All are welcome! Please come
and spread the word!

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal
the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of
the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries. Request the dvd's
to watch from Level 1 and you can still attend Level 2. Some partial scholarships
are available so all can attend and be trained.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for
our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian
Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. All are welcome!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

"Steadfast Love of the Most High" - January 17

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With the eyes of my heart and the ears of my spirit, I wait for Your Presence and watch for Your leading. ...

"In Your strength, the king rejoices, O Lord, and in Your help how greatly he exults! ...

For the king trusts in the Lord, through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.... Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength! We will sing and praise Your power" (Psalm 21:1-13).

In Your steadfast love, I am strong. In Your mighty power, I am secure. You embrace the yearnings of my spirit; You defeat the enemies of my soul. You love me and fight for me; You always reach out to me and never abandon me. My hope and trust is in You.

As I begin this new day, I exalt in Your help; I sing and praise Your power. You are the Most High-mighty and strong, loving and wise. Like King David, I look to Your leading and lean into Your loving, praising You for Your power that goes before me and Your Presence that goes with me, throughout all the moments of my day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Monday, January 16, 2012

Spiritual Eyes - January 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me into the deep place of prayer, Your Spirit in communion with my spirit, as I start this day centered in Your Presence and grounded in Your Word. ...

When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, 'Alas, master! What shall we do?' He replied, 'Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.' Then Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15-17).

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see. Let my natural eyes be open to see the people and circumstances that I'll encounter today, being fully alive and fully engaged with all my natural senses. But also let my spiritual eyes be open to see the fullness of the spiritual reality beyond my senses.

With "the eyes of (my) heart" open to the truth of Your power and Presence all around me, I will not falter or fear in where You lead me to go and what You call me to do, by the power of the grace of God today (Ephesians 1:17-18). Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots; some may trust in the worldly wisdom and strength of natural insight and natural senses alone; but I will trust in the Lord, my God (Psalm 20:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

Friday, January 13, 2012

"The Spirit of Jesus" - January 13

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Peace, the Shalom of God. Bring me into that
deep place of trusting faith, where I am at peace with God, at peace with others,
and at peace within myself. ...

"When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas"
(Acts 16:7-8).

Sometimes Your Spirit says, "Yes." Sometimes Your Spirit says, "No." Sometimes Your
Spirit says, "Wait." Sometimes Your Spirit says, "Slow." Lord, I need to know what
Your Spirit is saying to me every moment of every day.

I trust You to know what's best for me. So help me grow in sensitivity to Your Spirit
to know what You're saying and to follow how You're leading. Help me learn to live
a lifestyle of constant communion of with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please come join us and spread the word:

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for
our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian
Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. All are welcome!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar
Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal
the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of
the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Walk with God - January 12

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I intentionally choose to intentionally abide in You,
as You abide in me, throughout the moments of my day. ...

"Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him" (Genesis 5:24).

Like Enoch, I want to walk with You until I am no more. I want to walk with You
until "it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians
2:20). Teach me how, Lord. Show me what that looks like.

In the power of Your grace, Enable me to live for You. Enable me to live in You
and allow You to live through me. "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as
you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7, NKJV).

Like Enoch, come and take me, Lord-all that I am and all that I have. I've been
bought with a price and now my life is no longer my own. "And the life I now live,
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" Galatians
2:20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please come join us and spread the word:
5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for
our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian
Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. All are welcome!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar
Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal
the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of
the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Grow in Grace - January 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look and listen; I watch and wait. Come, Holy Spirit. ...

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity" (2 Peter 3:18).

Along the journey of my life, it seems I've learned how to grow in knowledge, affirmed by the pieces of paper, framed as certificates and degrees, hung on my walls or tucked away in my closets-a high school diploma, an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Masters of Divinity, a Doctorate of Jurisprudence, Board Certification in Trial Law. And along the way, it seems I've grown in the knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ-Bible classes, Sunday School lessons, theological studies, meditation of the Word of God, and my personal spiritual journey of faith. I've needed to grow, even been driven to grow in knowledge. But maybe most of all, I'm realizing how much I need to grow in grace.

Lord, teach me to grow in grace. How do I do it?

It seems I hear You say: "My son, My grace is My favor upon you, My mercy toward you, and My power through you. You grow in grace as you learn to depend upon Me alone. You can't earn it or deserve it; you can only receive it. Learn to receive My grace, My son; and You will grow in grace, My son."

Yes, Lord. In our world of striving, with all the pressures and expectations we put upon ourselves or allow others to put upon us, it's hard to look to You alone to find my sense of identity and allow You alone to direct my sense of destiny. But as best as I can and all by Your grace, I choose to trust in You, to rest in You, to depend upon You.

My Father God, help me embrace the peace and the truth that "it is God (not me) who is at work in (me), enabling (me) both to will and to work for (Your) good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Help me come to understand Your promise, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Help me grow in grace, all by the grace of God. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please come join us and spread the word:

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

Monday, January 09, 2012

Supernatural Strengthening - January 9

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the communion of prayer, let my human spirit engage
with Your Holy Spirit and my human nature yield to Your holy nature. ...

"May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power,
and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving
thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints
in the light" (Colossians 1:11-12).

There is a supernatural strengthening that comes from within-from Your Spirit abiding
within my spirit (John 15:4). Your Holy Spirit strengthens my human spirit with
Your glorious power. Your Holy Spirit sensitizes my human spirit with Your tender
leading. Your Holy Spirit aligns my human spirit with Your wise will. In that strengthening,
You prepare me and empower me to endure anything without losing my patience or letting
it steal my joy. This is part of my inheritance as a saint in the light, a child
of God filled with the Spirit of Christ. This is part of the fulfillment of Your
promise, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Lord, strengthen me more every day. Grow me up "to maturity, to the measure of the
full stature of Christ," as I seek to "grow up in every way into Him who is the
head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-16). It's all by the power of Your grace, and
it's all in the journey of faith. Thank You for meeting me here in my heart, Spirit
to spirit, as I start off another day of our journey in communion with You. Thank
You for Your compelling invitation to start each day embraced by the Father, centered
in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Help me now continue to abide with You,
in the communion of Your Spirit, throughout the moments of my day. In Jesus' name
I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please come join us and spread the word:

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for
our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian
Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. All are welcome!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Messiah Ministries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Equipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal
the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of
the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Friday, January 06, 2012

"Not Your Own" - January 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit.
Through the deep communion of intimate prayer and trusting surrender, draw me into
the place where You are One within me. ...

"But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.... Or do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you. which you have from God,
and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify
God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:17-20).

I am not my own. I belong to You. I was in slavery to sin and death, but You came
and saved me. I was lost, but now I'm found; I was dead, but now I'm alive; I was
bound but now I'm free. Now I'm cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and filled with
the Spirit of God. My heart is Your home and my body is Your temple. You are Lord
of all that I am and Lord of all that I have. I am Yours. ...

Lord, help me live my life today like I truly mean the words I've just prayed. Show
me in all the encounters I'll have and all the choices I'll make, throughout all
the moments of my day, what a difference it makes if these words are true. ...

I know I'll need the power of Your grace, because I know it's not by my power or
my might, but by Your Spirit alone that I can glorify You in my body and by my
life-one day at a time. Thank You that I know that I have it, and Your grace is
sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please come join us and spread the word:

5th Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit
January 27-28, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky"Contend for the Faith" -- A regional gathering to seek the Word of the Lord for
our city and region for 2012, hosted this year at East Second Street Christian
Church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. All are welcome!
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar
Messiah Minsitries' School of Spiritual Ministry - Level 2
February 1-4, 2012 in Lexington, KentuckyEquipping and empowering leaders for healing prayer and prophetic ministry to heal
the brokenhearted and set the captives free in the name of Jesus and the power of
the Holy Spirit. Led by Tommy & Sylvia Hays of Messiah Ministries.
www.messiah-ministries.org/calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org