Morning by Morning, November 11 - Confronting Compromise

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart, as I watch and watch for the leading of Your Spirit. ...

"Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire" (Matthew 18:7-9).

Lord, You are serious about confronting compromise in the world. And You call us to be serious about confronting compromise within ourselves.

Your Word and Your Spirit have that way of always leading us to look at ourselves first, before looking to others and to the world around us to identify the stumbling blocks on our journey in the pursuit of happiness. You didn't say, "If your neighbor's eye offend thee, pluck it out!" Rather, You said, "If your own eye causes you to stumble, tear it out."

Those were bold and dramatic words to express Your bold and dramatic point of just how seriously You take the issue of confronting compromise, shunning temptation, and courageously addressing the true issues that threaten our destruction. This is true, whether in our personal lives, our nation, or any other aspect of our lives.

Woe to the world that does not heed the voice of Your Word and Your Spirit, but no less is the warning of woe to the one who is not willing to boldly confront the tendency to compromise within. How need Your power and Your grace, working within us by Your Spirit, to enter into life that honors You (Philippians 2:13). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, I pray that by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit of our loving God, you will stand firm in the face of every temptation to compromise with the principles of the Kingdom of God. I pray the same for our nation. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 27 - Facing the Fiscal Cliff

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lord, be King and Lord of my thoughts and desires today. ...

"' Tell us, then, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?' But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, 'Why are you putting Me to the test, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the tax.' And they brought to Him a denarius. Then He said to them, whose head is this and whose title?' They answered, "The emperor's.' Then He said to them, 'Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's.' When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left Him and went away" (Matthew 22:17-22).

I live in this world, but I'm not of this world. I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven but I pay taxes to the United States of America. I vote my values and try to live my principles, but I'm also to "be subject to the governing authorities; for there is not authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God" (Romans 13:1). I'm to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God, but I'm also to pray "for kings and all who are in high positions, so that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2).

Lord, I need Your discernment and the leading of Your Spirit to fully engage and interact with this world that You so love, but that You are also trying to transform (John 3:16). Our prayers are part of that process, and our lives become part of that transformation (Matthew 6:10). That's all a part of how the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of our God - all in Your time and all in Your way (Revelation 11:15).

Our nation may be facing a "fiscal cliff," but by the power of God's grace I'm going to face it by faith and overcome it through prayer. My God is my Rock and my Refuge (Psalm 18:2). So in desperate dependence upon God alone, I'm going to hold fast to the Rock of Ages, cleft for me, even while I do my part to speak my mind, cast my votes, pay my taxes, and make my choices, led by Your Holy Spirit to try to be salt and light in my world throughout the moments of my day (Matthew 5:13-16). Then no matter what comes, I need not fear, for my God is with me (Isaiah 43:1-5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

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

Friends,  I pray you'll be full of faith and filled with the Spirit as you face every challenge. Fear not, for God is with you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 26 - Junction of the Cross and Our Nation

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts and the foundation of my day. ...

"Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls' " (Matthew 21:42-44).

Last night I took a drive along the Llano River running through the Texas Hill Country outside the town of Junction. When I came around a grove of oak trees and looked up on the high ridge overlooking the community, I was startled by three bright images up on high - a nearly full moon, a big American flag, and a lighted cross.

It was stunning. And for some reason, I couldn't stop weeping. I pulled over and could feel Your Holy Spirit stirring in the depths of my gut, but I wasn't really sure why. So I prayed. I found myself praying for our nation - repenting of our sins, and remembering our dedication to be a nation under God and a city on a hill, shining like a beacon of freedom and hope in a dark world. I found myself repenting of my sins and remembering my calling to give my life completely to You. I found myself praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the healing of the nations. Then I found myself being thankful for the blessings we have and hopeful to remember there is a people who are called by Your name, still looking up to the cross and turning to You in prayer, all over this land.

As the burden of prayer seemed to lift, I felt that I was lifted too - lifted in my heart, in my spirit, in my hope for good and amazing things yet to come, even in the midst of difficult times that may be ahead. Lord, let us be a nation that turns to you from the heart of Your people across our land, remembering our calling and fulfilling our destiny. Like a full moon in the night's sky, still reflecting the light of the sun despite the darkness, let us return to the place where we reflect the nature of the Son of God as one nation under God. Lord, begin in me, as I begin this day bowing before You. Let there be a junction in our hearts and our land between the cross and our nation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, may you be overwhelmed and undone with a passion for our God and stirring to prayer for our land to fulfill our destiny and honor God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 23 - Spirit of Thanksgiving Remains

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I love You, Lord with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. ...

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

The great day of great food, family, and friends, gathered around tables full of turkey and dressing, all saturated in the sounds of football games on television, in full expression of the American way of life, has come and gone. And hopefully it still a part of the American way to give God thanks and praise for at least a minute before the meal on Thanksgiving Day. At least our family homes and places of worship are a few places left in America where the mention of God and the name of Jesus is stilled allowed and still free from governmental legislation or court order.

There is still a Spirit of Thanksgiving that rises to heaven from the hearts of God's children here in this land. It may only be a remnant, but at least no one can say that there's no longer at least a remnant of thankful hearts who still appreciate all You've done and all the blessings we have.

Lord, let the Spirit of Thanksgiving not pass away just because Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. Let us continue to give thanks in all circumstances, with grateful hearts for Your Presence with us no matter what. We don't have to be thankful for all that happens, but we can be thankful for all we have and all You are, in the midst of whatever happens. It's in thanksgiving of God that we remain and abide in the Presence of God (Psalm 95:2). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

 

Friends, I pray a Spirit of Thanksgiving will fill your heart through all circumstances. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm blessed to be with family and friends out at my mom's house in the mountains of New Mexico for Thanksgiving a few days of rest. I'm thankful for your friendship and joining with me in the journey of prayer and all your encouragment and support in so many ways.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 20 - "Every Blessing in Abundance"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Word of God. Let my spirit hear You speak, as You put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. ...

"And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Thank You for all You provided for me, for all You have poured into me. Thank You for never giving up on me, for always reaching out to me, for eternally embracing me. Give me an ever-increasingly generous spirit that wants to share abundantly all I've received.

Though I've not always seen it for what it was at the time, You have provided me with "every blessing in abundance"-even the blessings of all the opportunities to die to my flesh and my will apart from Yours, to learn obedience through suffering, to find the treasure of knowing that my relationship with You is the most important blessing I could ever receive. "Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!" (v. 9:15)

So I thank You for provision, but I also thank You for teaching me that You alone must be the source of my provision (Philippians 4:19). I thank You for joy, but I also thank You for teaching me that it's for the sake of the joy set before me that at times I must endure the cross of what feels like shame at the time (Hebrews 12:2). And I thank You for teaching me this simple truth from the Word of God as a foundational philosophy of life: "The only thing that counts is faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). The blessing of knowing You in faith and giving away what I've received to others in love is Your great, abundant blessing to me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, may our God who is able pour abundatly into your life every blessing, as you share His abundant blessings in love to the ones He brings into intersection with your life. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

 

I'm blessed to be with family out at my mom's house in the mountains of New Mexico for Thanksgiving. I pray Thanksgiving blessings for you!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 19 - "As He Is, So Are We"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. And at Your name, I bow my knees, open my heart, and declare You are Lord of my life and the moments of my day. ...

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:16-17).

In the power of Your love, You put others before Yourself - and as You are, so are we to be in this world.

In the power of Your love, You lay down Your life for Your friends - and as You are, so are we to be in this world.

In the power of Your love, You forgive sins, don't hold onto offenses, and don't harden Your heart in judgment - and as You are, so are we to be in this world.

In the power of Your love, You look for the best in people, even when You know they are often likely to show their worst instead-and as You are, so are we to be in this world.

Lord, in the power of Your grace, help me be more like You. In all the encounters and challenges with the people and circumstances I'll come across today and every day, help me remember and embrace Your desire for me to love like You, within the boundaries You establish and the realities of my world: "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends ..." (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friend,  may our God who is love enable you and empower you to love more like Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Thank You! for praying for us at our Level 2 School of Spiritual Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas last week.

(www.covenantaustin.org). Along with the training and equipping for healing prayer ministry, we experienced several testimonies of inner healing, miraculous physical healing, and deliverance from spiritual oppression and heaviness among the team and at our Healing Service. Praise God!

Please pray for Pastor Val Sansing of Covenant UMC and her family and all who love them, as Val's husband, John, passed away on Thursday and the Services for the Celebration of John's life are today in Austin.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 15 - Spiritual Wisdom

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I open my heart and lift up my eyes to welcome You in to every moment of my day. ...

"For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one truly comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God. 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" (1 Corinthians 2:11-13).

Lord, let my human spirit abide in deep communion with Your Holy Spirit. Help me understand who You've created me to be and what You've called me to do, all by the expression of Your nature through my life.

Teach me and lead me by Your Spirit. Interpret Your spiritual truths to me and help me interpret them to those You would touch and teach through my life. Help me grow in Your spiritual wisdom and grow in my freedom from the spirit of the world and its human wisdom. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (v. 3:19). Lord God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - may You be "the source of (my) life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God" (v. 1:30). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, I pray the Holy Spirit will teach you and lead you today, interpreting to you the truths of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Friends, please keep us in prayer this week at our Level 2 School of Spiritual Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin with Pastor Val Sansing Wednesday throgh Saturday.

(www.covenantaustin.org). We experienced a deep intimacy in the Presence of God at our healing service last night, and it was wonderful to see some of my Texas friends who came to join us.

All who have had the Level 1 training or other inner healing and deliverance prayer ministry training are welcome to join us for our Level 2 School at Covenant this week. DVD's of our 4 Day Schools and other Ministry Resources are available from our Resources Page.

 

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Gift of Revelation - November 14

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - Lord God Almighty - early in the morning, may the prayers and praises of my spirit rise to You. ...

"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).

Lord, You've prepared good things for me and You are a good God. Holy Spirit of the Living God, open my eyes to see, open my ears to hear, open my heart to receive what You have prepared for me today. What You have prepared You desire to reveal to those who love You. So I ask You to reveal what I need to know about You and about myself to live out this day in a way that honors You.

Your gift of revelation, with the inspiration and exhortation of Your Holy Spirit, is for all who love You. I love You, Lord. And I want to see You as You are and see myself as I am -not blinded to the truth, not resistant to Your love, not hesitant to Your will. Let the depths of Your will and plan for my day stir in the depths of my spirit, as I seek to live this day in the spirit and truth of all Your have prepared and all You will reveal along the way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

My Friend, may you see and hear and receive all the Lord has planned for you today, as one who is deeply loved and loves deeply. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Friends, please keep us in prayer this week, as I begin teaching the Level 2 School of Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin with Pastor Val Sansing Wednesday throgh Saturday.

All are welcome to our Wednesday Night Healing Service at 6:30 pm at Covenant UMC (www.covenantaustin.org). And all who have had the Level 1 training or other inner healing and deliverance ministry training are welcome to join us for our Level 2 School at Covenant this week. DVD's of our 4 Day Schools and other Ministry Resources are available from our Resources Page.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Sifting and Shaking - November 13

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Thank You for always being here for me. You're with me always, even to the end of this age. ...

"Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32).

It seems there's always a sifting - a sifting of our souls by the enemy of our souls who always comes to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). And it also seems there's always a shaking - a shaking of all that can be shaken by the creator of our souls so that only what can't be shaken remains (Hebrews 12:27).

But by the mercy of Your love and the power of Your grace, You use every sifting from our enemy and every shaking from our God to strengthen our faith. That's how you teach us to live a lifestyle of humility - to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon God alone. Lord, help me listen to You; help me keep my eyes on You, through every sifting and shaking that comes, from whatever source, to deepen my humility and strengthen my faith. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, I pray the Lord will redeem and use every sifting and shaking you may endure, as He strenghtens you and encourages you to live out your calling and fulfill your destiny in Christ -- all in God's power, all in God's grace. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend.

Friends, please keep us in prayer this week, as I'm back in Texas Monday and Tuesday with Rapha God Ministries in San Antonio and then teaching the Level 2 School of Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin with Pastor Val Sansing Wednesday throgh Saturday.

All are welcome to our Wednesday Night Healing Service at 6:30 pm at Covenant UMC (www.covenantaustin.org). And all who have had the Level 1 training or other inner healing and deliverance ministry training are welcome to join us for our Level 2 School at Covenant this week.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Intimacy and Discernment - November 12

Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's all about You, from beginning to end. You are the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. So I want to begin and end this day with You in my heart and with You guiding my steps. ...

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

You sustain all things by Your powerful word. And in these last days, You speak to us and change us and guide us and sustain us by Your powerful word. So what could be more important that to learn to recognize and embrace Your word, to learn to trust and obey Your word? For You are the very Word of God (John 1:1).

You call us to listen and to hear Your voice, so we can follow You and You alone (John 10:1-5). So Word of God, would You speak to me now, as I begin my day listening to You? ...

It seems I hear You say: "You are My beloved. You are one who seeks My face and My voice. Look closely to see that it is I; listen carefully to hear that it is I. I call you to both intimacy and discernment. As intimacy grows, so does discernment. As you read My Word, seek My face, and hear My voice, you grow in your capacity to trust the One you see and hear. And rest in this truth, My beloved, My friend - even if you are mistaken, I am always with you, always seeking to lead you back to the path you've chosen to follow, to the path you've allowed Me to choose for you."

Yes, Lord. This is what I desire. And I'm asking You to help me grow in both my intimacy and discernment, as You help me grow into maturity (Ephesians 4:15). It's my prayer that in me and throughout Your beloved Body of Christ, our "love may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment"

(Philippians 1:9, RSV). "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the One who is true. And we are in the One who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20, NAB). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, may you hear more clearly the voice of God, growing in both intimacy and discernment, as You seek His face in worship and prayer. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

Friends, thank you for all your prayers for us at our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington last week. The Holy Spirit moved mightily to bring equipping of the saints for the work of ministry and we also encountered the Lord is His mighty healing power in spirit, soul, and body. We even saw a very dramatic miraculous healing from scolisosis of the spine and freedom from pain! DVDs from this school and past Level 1 and Level 2 Schools are available on our Resources Page if you'd like to join with us that way. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ.

Please keep us in prayer this week, as I'm back in Texas Monday and Tuesday with Rapha God Ministries in San Antonio and then teaching the Level 2 School of Ministry at Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin with Pastor Val Sansing Wednesday throgh Saturday.

All are welcome to our Wednesday Night Healing Service at 7 PM at Covenant UMC (www.covenantaustin.org). And all who have had the Level 1 training or other inner healing and deliverance ministry training are welcome to join us for our Level 2 School at Covenant this week.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Divine Dance, Holy Romance - November 9

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your Presence, embrace Your Word, and surrender to Your will. ...

"David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet" (2 Samuel 6:14-15).

There's a freedom in the Spirit to dance and sing and shout for joy when we fully embrace Your Presence and power of Your love. There's a freedom that comes that can no longer be contained when Your Spirit strips us bare of all the weights and burdens of our pain and shame that hold us back from the intimacy with You that You've created us to desire. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

It's in that freedom of the Spirit of the Lord, surrendered to Your will and showered in Your grace, that we can truly enter into the divine dance, to the holy romance. You lead and we follow; You embrace us and we allow ourselves to be fully embrace; You love us and we allow ourselves to be truly loved. It' in that place of the freedom of Your Spirit that "(nothing) in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, I pray for the freedom of the Spirit of the Lord to draw you into deeper places of intimacy with God in His divine dance and holy romance in your spiritual journey with Him. May you be free everything that would hold you back from the fullness of His love and grace for you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

We're already experiencing power testimonies of freedom and healing for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012, with students from Texas, West Virginia, Illinois, and Kentucky! Heather Butler called in from Wales to prophetically sing over us in the Spirit yesterday. DVDs from this school and past Level 1 and Level 2 Schools are available on our Resources Page if you'd like to join with us that way. And please keep us in prayer for life-changing encounters with God. The Friday Night Healing Service at All Nations UM Church (the GPS address is on Ashgrove Drive, Nicholasville, KY) hosting our School is open to all with worship at 7. Please come join us as Brooke Barrett leads us in healing worship.

All Alumni of past schools are welcome to come for free and to help minister to the students. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Citizens of the Kingdom of God - November 8

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be the cornerstone of all You will build throughout the moments and choices and encounters of my day. ...

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Sometimes we can feel like strangers and aliens in this broken, fallen world. Sometimes it's easier to remember that this is not our home, we're just passing through. But we are here for a season, and we are here to make a difference. We're here for You to make us more like You, and we're here for You to express Your love and truth and light through us (Matthew 5:13-16).

So together with my fellow-citizens of the kingdom of God in every tribe and tongue of nation where You have called us and strategically positioned us fulfill our destiny in our generation, let our lives make a difference. Join us together and grow us into maturity to be the household of our God, the temple of Your Holy Spirit. Let our hearts be Your dwelling place and our hands be an extension the power of Your love and grace for this broken and fallen world through our lives, this day and every day, until You come again in final glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, may you be salt and light in your strategic position where the Lord has you placed today, with Jesus Christ himself as your cornerstone. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

We're off to a great start for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012, with students from Texas, West Virginia, Illinois, and Kentucky! DVDs from this school and past Level 1 and Level 2 Schools are available on our Resources Page if you'd like to join with us that way. And please keep us in prayer for life-changing encounters with God. The Friday Night Healing Service at All Nations Church, hosting our School is open to all. Please come join us as Brooke Barrett leads us in healing worship.

All Alumni of past schools are welcome to come for free and to help minister to the students. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Righteousness Exalts a Nation" - November 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name be exalted over my life, my nation, and my world today. ...

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

Today is election day in America. Lord, let Your Spirit of Righteousness be poured out upon our nation today to guide our hearts to choose what is right on every ballot across our land. Let us make the choices that most honor You. Let us choose the candidates who most honor You.

It's in our heart for Your righteousness alone - not our economy, our national defense, or even our high hopes for our future security and prosperity - that our nation will be exalted or not. So, Lord, give us a right heart to make right choices that honor You. Only Your hand can protect us and provide for us. Only Your Spirit can lead us and guide us to fulfill Your redemptive destiny for us as a people and a nation in these days and the days to come. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, I join with you in praying for Godly leaders to be elected to office at every level of government in our nation today. And may we be the Godly leaders and followers we are called to be every day, by the power of God's grace. God bless you, my freiend.

It looks like this will be one of the largest gatherings of students we've ever had for our Level 1 Training this week! Scholarships are Available so all can come for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012.

All Alumni of past schools are welcome to come for free and to help minister to the students. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Please send me an email reply if you're interested (tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org) We are every excited and expectant. These are always very powerful and encouraging spiritual meetings. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 5 - The Better Part of the Better Place

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak Your name and seek Your nature, as I open my heart and lift my eyes to You in these first moments of my morning. ...

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to (Jesus) and asked, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her' " (Luke 10:40-42).

Martha had a personal relationship with You; and out of that relationship, she felt led to be very busy and always at work. When she pointed out her sister's failure to join with her in the work she was doing, she assumed she knew Your will and Your answer to her complaint, even before hearing Your response. She insisted of You, "Tell her then to help me."

But that's not what You did because that wasn't Your will. In fact, it was Martha, the one busy about the work of the kingdom or at least the "many tasks" she felt were the work of Your kingdom, who received Your correction. What she understood to be the pressure of Your will turned out to be a false pressure of worry, which became an idol and distraction, keeping her from the true intimacy of the personal relationship You both desired. Martha mistakenly thought she was in a better than her sister in Your eyes, but she had not chosen the better part at all.

Lord, I want to choose the better part. I want to be in the best place, the most intimate place, in my personal relationship with You. Forgive me for getting distracted and overcome with worry for the things I assume are Your will, without first drawing near to hear what really is. And forgive me for judging others of how they should be expressing their relationship with You, even as You free me from those same judgments of others as well. Lead us all to choose the better part, the better place - the place of intimacy in Your Presence where we can truly hear Your voice and obey Your will, so we can truly be about the work of Your kingdom in Your way and in Your time. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, may the Holy Spirit draw you into the deep place of intmacy with God to hear His voice and know His will for the moments of Your day, flowing out of your deeply personal relationship with Him. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

Scholarships are Available so all can come for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012.

All Alumni of past schools are welcome to come for free and to help minister to the students. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Please send me an email reply if you're interested (tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org) We are every excited and expectant. These are always very powerful and encouraging spiritual meetings. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

Morning by Morning, November 11 - Don't Look Back

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and call on Your name to begin my day in deliberate communion with Your Presence. ...

"Another said, 'I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.' Jesus said to him, 'No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God' " (Luke 9:61-62).

Nothing in this world is to have priority over my relationship with You. And I can't afford to get stuck looking back to think about what might have been. I can never change the facts of my past, but You change the effect of my past, if I entrust myself to You and allow You to work all things together for good.

Help me seek first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness, not looking around and not looking back. Then You'll take care of everything else that matters to me - all in the timing and the way of the One who knows best and wants the best for me (Matthew 6:33). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, thank you for joining with me in the journey of prayer. May the Holy Spirit lift your eyes to the kingdom of God and His righteousness and His purpose for your life every day, redeeming every day that's gone before. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

Scholarships are Available so all can come for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012.

All Alumni of past schools are welcome to come for free and to help minister to the students. Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Please send me an email reply if you're interested (tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org) We are every excited and expectant. These are always very powerful and encouraging spiritual meetings. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

When Our World Withers and Fades - October 31

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Praise You, Heavenly Father. Welcome, Holy Spirit. Lord God Almighty, I worship You and honor You, as I begin my day with You. ...

"The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, 'Here is your God!' See the Lord comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep" (Isaiah 40:8-11).

The famous boardwalk of Atlantic City is washed away. Wall Street is under water. Through floods and fires, winds and rain, it feels like the apocalypse for those who are suffering through such catastrophic destruction. But You are not distant from their distress or deaf to their cries. You are there in the midst of it all, bringing comfort to the broken and help to the hopeless.

All the things we know and expect to last forever could be washed away in a moment or burned up in an instant, but Your word will stand forever, Your Presence will never depart, Your love will never fail. You answer all who call and comfort those who mourn the loss of the passing treasures of this world. And You remind us all to keep holding fast to what will never wither and never fade.

Storms may come and the destruction is real, but You are our steadfast Rock that never waivers and never moves (Luke 6:48 ). Be with all who need to know Your security and embrace Your comfort in the midst of all the confusion and suffering they may endure. Thank You for every time You've always been there for me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Tommy, please join with me in prayer for all those facing such devastation through this storm. And if you are one of them, know that our hearts and prayers are with you. I pray for the Lord's peace and Presence with you through whatever kind of storm you may face. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my freiend.

Scholarships are Available so all can come for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012.

Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Please send me an email reply if you're interested (tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org) We are every excited and expectant. These are always very powerful and encouraging spiritual meetings. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Through the Waters" - October 30

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me hear Your voice and follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit in the embrace of my Father, as I begin my day in the communion of prayer. ...

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.... Do not fear, for I am with you..." (Isaiah 43:2-5).

Lord, I pray for those enduring this storm that's surged ashore and continues to churn across New Jersey, New York, and all that region of our nation. I pray for those who wake up this morning to the floods and fires, to the loss of power, and isolation from communication. Let them not fear, but turn to You in faith to believe You are with them and You will bring them through.

There is no devastation You cannot redeem, just as there are no circumstances You do not see. You're sending Your angels and sending Your people to be Your arms, Your hands, and Your feet. You hear the cry of the needy and reach out to those who call on Your name in their distress (Psalm 107:1-43). Your heart breaks with all who face the devastation and destruction that comes in like a flood, but You are there to bring them through in the power of Your love that casts out fear and points the way to restoration and hope. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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

Friends, please join with me in prayer for all those facing such devastation through this storm. And if you are one of them, know that our hearts and prayers are with you. God bless you, my freiend.

Scholarships are Available so all can come for our 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry in Lexington, Kentucky November 7-10, 2012.

Be equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Please send me an email reply if you're interested (tommyhays@messiah-ministries.org) We are every excited and expectant. These are always very powerful and encouraging spiritual meetings. Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries

Healing from the Inside Out

2800 Tates Creek Road

Lexington, Kentucky 40502

www.messiah-ministries.org