Resurrection Hope - April 11

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Purify my heart, sanctify my soul. Help me start my day grounded in Your Word and filled with Your Spirit. ...

"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 keep from recognizing Him. And He said to them, 'What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?' They stood still, looking sad. ... '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' " (Luke 24:13-21)

"But we had hoped" - what sad words that reveal the brokenness of their hearts and hopes. They had had expectant faith and passionate zeal. They had walked in deep intimacy with the Son of God and seen great and awesome things they never expected to see. Yet now in this moment, they were standing still and looking sad.

Something stirred in their hearts as they heard news that the tomb was empty (v. 24:22-23). But rather than being encouraged with resurrection hope and celebration of Your resurrection power, the news of the empty tomb without the manifest Presence of the risen Savior seemed to only stir up more confusion and discouragement. They still lacked resurrection faith.

"Then He said to them, 'Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into His glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things about Himself in all the Scriptures" (v. 24:25-27).

As they listened to Your words and pressed in to Your Presence, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized (You)" (v. 24:28-31). Their "hearts were burning within (them)" in their resurrection encounter (v. 24:32).

Lord Jesus, fill my heart with resurrection hope. Whenever my faith is weak and I find myself questioning Your prophetic words or confused about Your divine revelations, remind me of Your resurrection power. Draw near to me in Your resurrected Presence until my heart again burns within me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Come to The Mountain next Monday, April 16th, 7pm, to hear Henry Gruver speak of his prophetic insights, travelling the nations in prayer. Henry's love for Israel and understanding of end time events will make this a special evening for everyone. Hosted at:

Lexington First Assembly Church
2780 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Pasadena)
Lexington, KY
(In the Ministry Building directly behind the church)
The Mountain is the weekly Prayer Group for Israel, led by Bob & Doris McCray of our Messiah Ministries Board of Directors.

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
www.messiah-ministries.org

Resurrection Power of the King - April 10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your resurrection power arise in my spirit today. ...

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking 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 of the Lord Jesus. 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).

In the now-famous words of Rev. Dr. S. M. Lockridge:

Well, the Pharisees couldn't stand Him,

but they found out they couldn't stop Him.
Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn't kill Him.
Death couldn't handle Him and
the grave couldn't hold Him.
Yeah! That's my King!
Yeah! That's my King!

Lord Jesus, You are the mighty One! You are the risen One! You're the only One who could take my sins and my failures, my burdens and bondages, and set me free in the same power that raised You from the dead. And You're the One who's entrusted that same power of Your Holy Spirit to live in me (Romans 8:11).

You are my King! You are my Risen and mighty King! And I bow my heart before You Lord. I open my spirit to Your resurrection power. Come rule and reign in my life today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, if you're in the Lexington area, please come join us for our Dream Interpretion Workshop that Sylvia will be teaching Friday Night and Saturday, April 20-21. No Registration Fee, but an Offering for Our Ministry will be recieved. Please register with Marilyn at directormin@messiah-ministries.org

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
www.messiah-ministries.org

Eternally Self-Sacrificing Love on the Cross - April 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look up in my spirit to see only You, as I watch and wait in the silence of surrender before You. ...

"It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified Him.... When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? ... Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:25-39)

In that moment of Your death upon the cross, all our sins of all our generations were laid upon You. In the mystery of faith and the power of love, as the spotless and holy Lamb of God, without sin or blemish, You became our Sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. "For our sake (the Father) made (the Son) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds (we) have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

In that moment when You became sin for us, You were forsaken so that we could be forgiven. You were our Sacrifice so that we could be accepted. You poured out Your blood to accomplish what our sinful lives or even our most righteous acts never could. "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. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before Him - " (Colossians 1:19-22).

At that moment, the veil of the earthly temple was torn asunder, as You bore our sins upon Your earthly body. And at that moment, in Your perfect Spirit You entered into the Holy of Holies of the heavenly temple to dash Your perfect blood upon the eternal alter of God: "He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!" (Hebrews 9:12-14). "For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but He entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the Presence of God on our behalf" (Hebrews 9:24).

Words cannot say how thankful I am for Your great sacrifice of love for me. The honest truth is that I don't fully grasp - and perhaps never will, even if I ponder the mystery of the cross for all eternity with You - the depths of Your love and the cost of Your sacrifice, as You felt forsaken by the Father in that moment of sacrifice for our sins. But I know enough, by the grace of Your Spirit, to embrace the grace of Your indescribable gift of eternally self-sacrificing love on that cross. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Dear friend, on this day we remember the day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was crucified to death on the cross to pour out His blood for us, I pray you will know in a deeper way than ever before how much God loves you. Let's pray for one another to live a life by the power of the grace of God that honors His name and His sacrifice for us. God bless you!

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Spellbound" and Spirit-Filled - April 5

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice in love for me. ...

"Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and He would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, 'Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it a den of robbers.' And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill Him; for they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by His teaching" (Mark 11:15-18).

Fear fueled the wrath of the religious leaders and fanned their jealousy and pride into flame. You threatened their power, their control, and their doctrine. You were turning their religious kingdom upside-down. You insisted on a return to the Truth and Spirit of the Word of God-a God whose heart was not focused on religious leaders building their own religious kingdom through control, but rather focused on the salvation of the souls of the nations through prayer. No wonder they were looking for a way to kill You.

But You didn't back down and You didn't tone it down. You confronted their compromise and assaulted their pride. You poured out Your compassion for the people, even as You erupted in anger over the actions of their leaders. Through it all, You continued to teach and proclaim the Kingdom of God, teaching by precept and by example. And all who saw You and heard You were spellbound, for You taught as One with authority (v. 1:27).

There's a cost for courage to stand for what is right, to persist in the truth regardless of the consequences. And only by the grace of God can we be moved with great love and compassion for people, while at the same time being moved with righteous anger toward that which dishonors God. But that's the Spirit of Christ. And You died in Your flesh as the Son of Man that we might have Your "Spirit of Christ" abiding in us (Romans 8:9). Lord, let me be spellbound by Your example and Spirit-filled in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org

One Betrayed, All Deserted - April 4

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, I seek to begin my day focused on You, O Lord, my God. ...

"When it was evening, He came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me.' ... When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, 'You will all become deserters; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee" (Mark 14:17-28).

One would betray You. All would desert You. Yet, You shared Your last meal with them, even as Your very Body and Blood with them (v. 14:22-24). You loved them and forgave them. Then You encouraged them to keep the faith and hold fast to the hope within them.

Though we can be faithless, You are always faithful. Though we can so often give in to our fears and failures, You are always giving of Yourself and forgiving of our sins. In so many ways we so often betray You or desert You in the weakness of our human flesh. We so often find it hard to always stand by You and continue to fully follow You on the journey of Your cross and ours. Peter protested that he would (v. 14:29). But in the end, he could not (v. 14:66-72).

Forgive us, Lord. Like Peter and all the others, our spirit is strong, but our flesh is weak (v. 14:38). Our good intentions abound, but our commitment often waivers. Despite their failure to endure to the end, there was another day for Your disciples (v. 16:7). And for us on this side of the cross, every day is another day to repent of every failure of the day before and arise in newness of life by the mercy and power of Your grace to choose to follow You again. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Praise You, O God, for loving us so. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

My friends, God bless you in your journey with Jesus during this Holy Week of remembering His journey to the cross.

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org

Pressing Ahead, Leading the Way - April 3

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me center my thoughts and ground my day in Your Word and in Your Spirit. ...

"They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, 'See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles; they will mock Him, and spit upon Him, and flog Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise again" (Mark 10:32-34).

The cross before You with all its sufferings - to be betrayed, rejected, condemned, mocked, humiliated, tortured, and killed. Those closest to You were filled with fear, but You were filled with faith. Even with certain knowledge of all that was to come, You were pressing ahead, leading the way, determined to accomplish all that the Father had put in Your heart to do. "When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51).

Lord, give me courage to follow You even when I'm afraid. Give me a determined spirit to accomplish all You've put in my heart to do, no matter the cost. Fill my heart with faith to trust Your plan for my life. Your Word gives us certain knowledge that there will be times of suffering for those who choose to follow Christ, but also the promise of great joy to come as we rise with You. This is our inheritance as the children of God and followers of Christ. In You, we are "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:17). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org

The Journey to the Cross - April 2

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart and the ears of my spirit, as I watch and wait for You. ...

"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.... I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.... A little while, and you will no longer see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me" (John 16:4-16).

In those last days on earth as the Son of Man on the journey to the cross, Your first disciples didn't understand. They had begun to think You'd be with them forever in the flesh. They had begun to think they'd see You establish an earthly kingdom in their physical realm, where there would always and only be miracles and joy. But as You began to prepare their hearts for the tragic and traumatic days to come, their hearts were filled with sorrow.

They didn't understand the necessity or the significance of the cross. They didn't understand what You meant when You said, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (v. 12:23-24).

So You continued to encourage them in hope that there would joy beyond the cross. What would seem as death and defeat would become victory and life. "Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.... So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (v. 16:20-22).

As with Your first disciples, You let us hear what we can bear. You let us know that the servants are not above our Master, nor the disciples above our Teacher (v. 13:16). The world persecuted You and the world will persecute us, as we take up Your cause and our cross to follow You on the journey to the cross. But as You encouraged Your first disciples, so You continue to encourage us: "In Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!" (v. 16:33).

As we enter into the Holy Week, remembering the journey to the cross, help me keep my eyes fixed on You. I'm not looking for You to build an earthly kingdom in the physical realm, I'm longing for You to establish Your spiritual kingdom in my heart - for the kingdom of God is within me (Luke 17:21). By the power of Your grace, I will keep "looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Please come join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Thank you for praying for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend. The Presence of the Holy Spirit was very thick with us! Please let us know if you'd like to have the DVD.

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out

www.messiah-ministries.org

Out of Great Love - March 30

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I entrust all that I am and all that I have to You today. ...

"But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come, He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

O how You love us. Not just when we're good, not just when we're obedient, not just when we're productive - You always love us. The riches of Your grace are immeasurable; the security of Your love is immovable. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Lord, let me never doubt Your love for me. Let me never question the intentions of Your heart toward me. Even before I ever opened my heart to let You in, You loved me and gave Yourself for me. Let the unbending truth of Your unfailing love keep me secure.

In the name of Jesus, I renounce every insecurity and every sense of unworthiness of the love of the One who created me and calls me by name and seated me in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Come Holy Spirit. Come fill me afresh every moment of every day with this powerful sense of the security.

O how great is the Father's love for us. O how vast beyond all measure. By Your grace, I choose to embrace all the love You have for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

If You're in the Lexington Area, please Join us This Weekend March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar Sylvia and I will be teaching and we will be recording the sessions live if you'd like to order it on DVD shortly.

Come join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

"Rider in the Heavens" - March 28

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I steady my soul and rest in Your Spirit, as I listen for Your voice and wait for Your leading. ...

"O Rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, He sends out His voice, His mighty voice" (Psalm 68:33).

Lord Jesus, You are the Rider in the heavens. You are the mighty Voice of God, the very Word of God: "Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its Rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name inscribed that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robed dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:11:13).

O Rider in the heavens, I want to hear Your voice. I want to fully trust in Your faithfulness and truth. I want to seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness. I want to see You move mightily in the heavens , on the earth, and here in my heart, as You establish the fullness of the victory of Your cross through the power of Your blood. And I want to celebrate with You now and throughout eternity that "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ" (Revelation 11:15, NKJ). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

If You're in the Lexington Area, please Join us This Weekend March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar Sylvia and I will be teaching and we will be recording the sessions live if you'd like to order it on DVD shortly.

Come join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Press In to the Promise of Intimacy - March 27

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart and welcome You in, as we begin this day together in prayer. ...

Press in

Press in

I press in to You

Come in

Come in

Let Me come in to you

For you are here

And I Am here

For you are near

And I Am near to you

Press in

Yes, Lord. I hear You stirring this song in my spirit, calling me to press in to You. And I hear my spirit responding. Thank You for Your promise of intimacy with all who respond to Your call: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

I want to begin this day pressing in, drawing near to You. And I also want to continue pressed in, drawn near throughout all the moments of my day. That's another one of Your great promises of intimacy: "Abide in Me as I abide in you" (John 15:4). "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:13).

You give us of Your Spirit so we can live every moment of every day abiding in You. How could we neglect such a great promise? By Your grace, I will not. By Your grace I will embrace Your great promise of intimacy with me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Come join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Join us This Weekend March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Put Your Gifts into Practice - March 26

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me into that deep place of communion in prayer. ...

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress" (1 Timothy 4:14-15).

You want us to know our gifts of God. You want us to put them into practice with devotion and passion. You want us to keep learning, keep growing, keep serving. "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received" (1 Peter 4:10).

In living out our gifts, we are allowing You to live out that expression and dimension of Yourself through each of us. You have given us Your Spirit, Your great Gift. And with the Spirit of Christ abiding in us, we can be Your Body, bearing Your gifts, touching lives in the power of Your grace (1 Corinthians 12:1-31). In devotion to You, help me put into practice all You've entrusted to me today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Thank you for praying for our Revival at All Nations Church. We had an incredible move of God's Spirit. One lady had a tremendous breakthrough from fear Saturday night, among many more lives the Lord touched and changed in the power of His love. Your prayers and support make this ministry possible. God bless you!

Come join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Persisting in the Promises - March 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Led me beside Your still waters in these first moments of my morning, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ...

"Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the One who delivers, shut the womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her... For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream.... As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:7-13).

As a people, You chose Israel as the apple of Your eye and a light to the nations. Yet she so often turned from Your face and rejected Your embrace. She spurned the correction of Your prophets and rejected the leading of Your Spirit. Her selfishness was great, her stubbornness was strong, and her sins were many (v. 66:3-4).

Yet, You promised to never leave her nor forsake her. You continue to reach out to her and love her. Your covenant is eternal and Your promises are certain. And even when it may seem that all is lost and too far gone to have any hope of change, Your word will still go forth and will fully accomplish all that You have purposed and promised (v. 55:11). "And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 'Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins'" (Romans 11:26-27).

Is not their journey our journey? Are not their cycles of sins and failures, repentance and mercy, discouragement and hope an example for us? (1 Corinthians 10:6). "Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again" (Romans 11:22-23).

It's Your severity that judges our doubt and unbelief, our resistance and pride. And it's Your kindness that pours out Your mercy and refuses to allow us to persist in our rejection of all Your promises that await fulfillment if we'll entrust ourselves to You. You can change everything in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Like a woman crying out in the pains of labor, You deliver us from our distress and bring to life all You've sown and purposed within us. You will be faithful to bring to completion all You have begun (Philippians 1:6). Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Healing Revival at All Nations UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi in Nicholasville, KY. Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

"The Lamb at the Center" - March 22

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all that I think, all that I feel, all that I am, and all that I do. ...

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You forever dwell at the center of the throne of God. And I ask You to dwell forever at the center of my heart. Let my life be centered in Christ.

Guide me each day to Your living springs. Help me drink deeply each day from Your waters of life. Wipe away my tears, heal my wounds, forgive my sins, break my chains. Lamb of God, be at the center of the throne of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Revival at Lexington UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi in Nicholasville, KY. Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

"Tremble at My Word" - March 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. Thank You for first loving me. ...

"But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2).

To be humble in spirit is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. To be contrite in spirit is to willingly choose to be tenderly sensitive to Your correction and guidance. To tremble at Your word is to willingly choose to highly reverence Your will above our ways in the holy fear of the Lord.

This is the heart that pleases You; this is the life that draws Your favor and embraces Your Presence. "For thus says the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I will dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (v. 57:15).

When we tremble at Your word, we'll no longer tremble at the world. When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, You will lift us up. When we yield to leading of Your Spirit, You'll lead us in the paths of Your righteousness, beside Your still waters, as Your restore our souls. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Lord, let it be so in me today and every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Thank you for all your prayers for us as we've been ministeing (non-stop!) in Georgia and South Carolina this week. The Lord has been moving mightily through inner healing and prophetic ministry! There's was standing room only in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar and last night we were led to pray and prophecy over every person at the meeting in Lexington, SC! Please keep praying for us as we move on to some personal ministry times in Charlotte, NC today and tonight, before returning home.

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Revival at Lexington UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi back in Nicholasville, KY . Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

The Cross and the Cup - March 19

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

"James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.' And He said to them, 'What is it that you want Me to do for you?' And they said to Him, 'Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?' " (Mark 10:35-39)

There's something in us that drives us to seek to sit "in Your glory." We often find ourselves striving for position, struggling for place. We're full of pride and full of ourselves. And that can be true of each of us, even after we've been walking with You in the midst of us for awhile.

But in our zeal to do great things for You and think great things of ourselves, You keep pointing us to Your cross; You keep offering to us Your cup. That's where we truly die to ourselves so we can truly live for You. That's where You crucify us in our flesh and baptize us in Your fire.

There is a cross for each of us to bear and there is a cup for each of us to drink (Mark 8:34). It's along the journey toward spiritual maturity where we come to place of seeking Your glory instead of our glory, seeking Your Kingdom instead of trying to build our own kingdom. That's where You remind us, "To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.... It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:6).

Lord, keep leading me to the cross and the cup by Your Spirit. Bring me to the place where I can say, "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

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

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Philip the Evangelist" - March 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender all, entrusting to You all the moments of my day. ...

"The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy" (Acts 21:8-9).

Philip was one of the seven, set apart for ministry, along with Stephen and the others, by Your first apostles (v. 6:5). They were "seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (v. 6:3). You gifted him as an evangelist and You gifted his daughters as prophets.

Thank You for the gifts and the calling You have for each of us in the Body of Christ. Help us discover them for ourselves and encourage them in our children. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.... All of these are activated by the one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses" (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Philip became known by his gifting and calling - "Philip the evangelist." No doubt, it was a consuming passion in his life. When we seek first You and Your Kingdom, Your Holy Spirit awakens us to our identity, empowers us with authority, and sends us forth into our destiny. Finding our own identity then frees us to recognize and affirm the distinct identity of our children and others, freeing them to be all You created them to be just as You've freed us to be all You've created us to be.

Lord, help me know the security of who I am in Christ and who You are in me. Reveal to me my gifting and calling; help me recognize it and affirm it in my children and others. May we be activated, equipped, anointed, and empowered, consumed with passion to live our lives for You. With great diversity, we are joined and fitted together as Your body to reveal Your heart in the ways You've chosen among the lives You touch through each of us. "As it is, there are many members, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic ministry ( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ). Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).

Please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/local-church-renewal-events/lay-witness-mission).

These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word

( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ).

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can!