The Gift of Significance 2-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me hear the sound of Your voice. Let me sense the leading of Your Spirit. I watch and wait for You in the quiet stillness of the morning. ... Every day of these last days is precious in Your sight. Every generation of these last generations has a purpose and calling in Your plan to prepare the way of the Lord. Let us not waste our time. Let us not be distracted. There are so many good things, important things to do; yet there is only one thing at a time You have called us to do. We can only do what You have called us to do as we become who You have called us to become. Every distraction that would mislead us and every deterrence that would hinder us is our enemy -- to be identified and overcome. You call us to single-mindedness, to whole-heartedness -- to give You our undivided attention and our undivided loyalty. Then we will receive the gift of significance. Our lives will be fulfilling for we will have fulfilled the calling of our destiny in Christ in our days and for our generation. You are freeing us to take time to listen -- if we will let go of the things that entangle us and entrust them to You. You are calling us to wait in Your presence for the leading of Your voice -- if we humble ourselves to be silent before You. Nothing could be more important. "I give You thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness; for You have exalted Your name and Your word above everything. On the day I called, You answered me, You increased the strength of my soul.... Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; You stretch out Your hand, and Your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands" (Psalm 138.1-8). O Lord, fulfill Your purpose for each of us. Let us receive the gift of significance. Teach us how to quiet our souls from our own thoughts and concerns for a moment as we call out to You in our hearts. Let us not waste another moment of our lives because we were too busy and too proud to humble ourselves in the quiet silence of Your presence. Only there will we sense the leading of Your still, small voice. Only then will we discern the next step in the journey of our destiny in Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I will be teaching two weekend sessions of training for inner healing prayer ministry with people from the Madisonville District of the Methodist Church in western Kentucky 3/18-19 and 5/6-7. Please contact us if you would like to come; there are some prerequisites, including review of tapes from our foundational session, but all are welcome. Please keep us in prayer as we train and equip others for the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Worthy of Our Time 2-21-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I decrease as You increase. I listen for the leading of Your voice as I humble myself in the silence of surrender before You. ... Thoughts and concerns for the day often try to come pressing in, pushing our minds around like bullies on a playground, trying to steal our time with You. But we have a choice. We can choose to give in or to stand our ground. By Your grace, we choose to stand -- to look to You and to You alone, to share the first moments of our morning with You and with no other. You are worthy of our undivided attention; You are worthy of the sacrifice of our time. There will be time enough to face the thoughts and concerns of the day, but they will not rule over us now, for You alone are our Ruler. Lord Jesus, be Lord of our thoughts now, we pray. ... "I am Lord over those who willingly submit to My lordship. I do not force Myself in. I do not control. I stand at the door and knock, longing for you to open the door of your mind to Me -- not only your heart, but also your mind. I am a jealous God -- I am jealous for the time and attention and focus of those I have created for relationship with Me. You honor Me and welcome Me when you seek Me and surrender your thoughts to Me. As you do, I bring wisdom to your mind, passion to your heart, and peace to your soul. I go before you to prepare the way and order your steps throughout the day. This is how I lead you beside the still waters, because you have allowed Me to still the waters of your soul." Yes, Lord. Thank you for the gift of Your peace and the calming power of Your presence. Let us be refreshed and renewed, empowered and encouraged in these first moments of the morning focused on You. Let this become part of our relationship and not just a ritual. Let this become our lifestyle and just a little act of obedience when we can. We were created for more than this, we were created for You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

We Worship the One 2-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and exalted, enthroned on the praises of my heart as I begin this day in worship and prayer and praise to You. ... "All the earth worships You; they sing praises to You, sing praise to Your name" (Psalm 66.4). We worship the One Who is worthy of all praise. When we worship, we turn our eyes to You and away from ourselves; we lift up our hearts to the Lord instead of letting them be weighed down by the burdens of our lives. Praise begins to push up our spirits and push out all that was weighing us down. Worship is a means of Your grace for restoring our vision and hope, a gift of God for renewing our minds and our hearts. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of worship. You are worthy of our worship because of Who You are, yet You use our worship as means of changing us. As we behold You in Your glory, You are changing us into Your image, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3.17-18). Worship is one of the ways Your Spirit is preparing us to be the glorious bride to receive the coming of our glorious King. "O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand" (Psalm 95.6-7). Change us, Lord, as we lift our eyes, our hearts, and our voices to You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Christ in You 2-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I invite You into my heart today and every day. ... The mystery of Your presence here in my heart while You are there in the hearts of all who have invited You in to theirs also is almost beyond comprehension. We could never grasp this truth without understanding the nature of Your Holy Spirit, Who comes from our Father to abide in our human spirits, as we commit ourselves to You (John 14.16-17). Then we receive the promise of our Father to all the children of God: "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (1 Colossians 1.27). Help us understand and embrace this life-changing truth of Your living presence living in us. "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8.9-11). "Spirit of Christ," come dwell in us, we pray. We open our hearts to you. Come possess us and change us into Your nature, that we may be the holy people our Holy Father has created us to be, with Your Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts to the glory of God. Then we will know this Word is true: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Lord, let it be so. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

First Things 2-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I come to You now, as best as I can and all by Your grace, to wait humbly in Your presence. I desire to know every dimension of Your nature more intimately -- as my Father, as my Lord and Savior and best Friend, and as the Holy Spirit of the Living God. As I rest in You and trust in You and the power of Your love, let Your Holy Spirit go forth to order my thoughts, my desires, and my day to bring about Your purposes through me as You desire to do through all Your children. ... Why does the morning matter so much, Lord? Why does it seem to be so important to start the morning in prayer. In times when I have not or it seemed I could not, I've seen the difference it makes in my day. Why is that? "My son, this is part of the principle of first things. The first thing is the beginning. The beginning sets the course for the journey. Every day is a journey. To begin every journey, to begin every day with Me is to allow Me to set Your course. You will make many decisions along the way and you can even change course, yet how you begin has much bearing upon how you will journey and how you will end. It really is as simple as that. First things are very important. Let Me be first and I will be foremost in all things that you face along the journey." Yes, Lord. You are bringing to mind one of the patterns of the Old Covenant intended to teach us Your principles for life to be fulfilled through Your New Covenant: "On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared for you" (Exodus 12.16). Lord, teach us how to begin and end with You, as we rest from our own efforts and plans so we can receive Yours and live them out in Your power. Let us eat of Your Word and drink of Your Spirit alone as the first things of our day so that the last things will be a completion of what You have begun in us. You are "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22.13). Let us begin and end with You on every journey and on every day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at The Fountain, our monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the intimacy of the presence of the Lord. We meet in the chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington at 7 pm (prayer at 6 pm) on the 3rd Saturday night of every month. All are welcome. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Great is Thy Faithfulness 2-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I humble myself in Your sight and pray You would lift me up into Your presence in the communion of prayer. ... You woke me this morning with the words of an old hymn written by another one of Your Methodist ministers from Kentucky: "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me." (Rev. Tommy Chisholm). Moment by moment, morning by morning, lead us more deeply into the intimacy of communion with You. Teach us how to look to You and trust You to be our strength and our hope as we commit our lives to You afresh every morning. You will be faithful to bless us with Your presence wherever we go and whatever we do. You will be faithful to cause our thoughts to be more like Your thoughts and cause our ways to be more like Your ways, as You are maturing us and conforming us into the image of Christ, a little more each day. "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all who wait for the Lord" (Psalm 31.24). "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope" (Psalm 130.5). "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). You are our strength for today; You are our hope for tomorrow. Great is Thy faithfulness! We praise Your holy name with thankful hearts, moment by moment and morning by morning. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, "strength for today and hope for tomorrow" will be the theme at the annual Aldersgate Conference on Spirit-filled living in the Wesleyan tradition in Overland Park, Kansas this summer. I'm excited to be one of the teachers for an equipping seminar again. Please come join us if you can. Get details and register online at http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org/ (you might also be interested in ordering my tapes or others from last year's powerful conference in Lexington, KY). To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Watch and Wait 2-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. There will be time for thinking about the responsibilities of the day, for working in the marketplaces of our lives, for interceding and ministering for the kingdom of God, but right now it is time to simply turn our thoughts and our hearts to You. ... "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37.7). There is so much activity in our lives. Some is led by Your Spirit as You advance Your kingdom through Your people. But, if we were to be really honest, we would also have to admit that some of our activity is of the flesh. Much of what we do, even in Your name, is driven by our own sense of urgency rather than Yours, by our own plans and ambitions rather than Yours. Much of our striving and anxiety and stress come out of our fear of failure rather than our placing our faith in You. Let us see the power of watching and waiting on You in the first moments of the morning. Let this set in motion the pattern for our day -- to entrust our lives to You, to let Your peace rise up within us, to listen for the leading of Your voice. Then we will not worry; we will be anxious for nothing. Then we will fear not, for will know that You are with us. Because we have entrusted our thoughts to You in the silence of surrender, You will be able to fill our minds with Your thoughts and fill our hearts with Your desires. "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act" (Psalm 37.5). Yes, Lord. We are refreshed and renewed by resting in Your presence. We are focused as our eyes are fixed on You. Our minds are cleared from confusion as we center our thoughts on You. Teach us how to experience and enjoy the simplicity of devotion to Christ as we offer You the sacrifice of the first thoughts of our morning. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.... For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken" (Psalm 62.1-6). Thank You for the peace and security that come as we take time to watch and wait in the quiet of Your presence. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The House of the Lord 2-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome the glory of Your manifest presence in my heart and in my life. Prepare me to receive You in the communion of prayer. ... You moved upon the heart of Solomon to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, the holy city of God. What You were doing in this physical house speaks of what You are doing in our spiritual hearts, for our hearts are the house of the Lord: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3.16). As they prepared the earthly temple for the filling of the glory of the Lord, so You call us to prepare our hearts for the filling of that same glory. "So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.... Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.... And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8.4-11). Lord, teach us how to welcome the ark of Your presence into our hearts, to spread before You the tent of meeting in prayer, and to set apart our lives as holy vessels unto the Lord. Lead us in to the inner sanctuary of our spirits, guarded by the covering of Your angels in the holy of holies of communion in prayer with You. Let Your glory fill our hearts and our lives with the fullness of Your presence. Let us be the house of the Lord and the city of God. You call out to all who will come: "Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2.5). Lord, we come. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Celebration of Love 2-14-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes upon You and let everything else fade out of view in these first moments of my day. ... This is a day all the world celebrates love. There will be heart-shaped candies and boxes and heart-shaped cards and gifts to celebrate Valentine's Day. Some will express their love with tender words and some will express it by underlining the words on a card. Some will want the day to last forever and some will wish it had never come. Sometimes love will be distorted into something that's no longer love at all and sometimes it will be guarded and nurtured as the purest gift of all. So whether we love it or despise it, the day of celebration of love has come. Either way, let it remind us that we are all created for love. The world celebrates love for a day because You've created us with the desire for love in our hearts. We are driven to find love because we are driven to find You. "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4.8). Lord, redeem our desire for love as You turn our eyes toward You, the source and gift of all true love. Let us celebrate our love for one another because we celebrate Your love for us. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4.19). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat. night 2/19 if you can at 7pm in the chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Please pray for us if you can't come and God bless you as you welcome His presence in your city and in your hearts. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Send Forth Your Word 2-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your life fill my spirit; let Your words fill my mind. I look and listen for the leading of Your voice. ... "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119.105). This day, Your Word is being proclaimed throughout all the earth. Though Your Word goes forth every day, on this day it goes forth in abundance through the mouths of Your servants and into the hearts of Your people. Let us listen before we speak; let us bow in prayers of humility before we preach and teach with boldness; let us proclaim to others only what we hear from You. Let us see what the Father is doing and hear what the Father is saying -- slow to speak, quick to listen, so that when we do speak we can speak with the authority of one who has heard from You. Then it will be Your words that go forth and not our own; it will be the Word of God that is heard and not merely the words of man. It is Your Word that is "firmly fixed in heaven," not ours (Psalm 119.89). As You have decreed, "So shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but It shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent It" (Isaiah 55.11). Send forth Your Word this day and every day, as we receive It in our souls. Let us see the power and the effect of Your Word in the transformation of our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The Light of the Morning 2-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. We begin another day together in the communion of prayer. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ... Each day begins with light, as the light of the morning overcomes the darkness of night. So it has been from the beginning: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day" (Genesis 1.3-5). Lord, let the light of Your morning overcome the darkness of the evening in our souls. Bring all things out of the darkness and into Your light, for darkness loses it's power in the light. What has been veiled becomes open, what was hidden becomes exposed, and what was lost becomes found. Give us the humility to acknowledge the dark places of our souls where we have not yet let Your light shine. Maybe we're afraid; maybe we're ashamed. Maybe we just need somebody to trust enough to help lead us out of the darkness and into Your light. "And this is the judgment, that the light has comes into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so all their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God" (John 3.19-21). Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit to help us bring all things out of the darkness and into Your light. The truth is we do not fully see all the dark places in our souls, yet You only ask that we give You permission to come in so You can lead us out of the darkness and into Your light. As You have said before, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8.12). Come, Lord Jesus, and lead us into Your light. Let this be the morning of a new day as Your light overcomes every darkness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

God is Love 2-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I humble my heart at Your feet and pray You'd lift my eyes to Your face. Your Spirit is always leading me to You, and You are always revealing the heart of my Father, Who is always sending His Spirit to lead me to You. Praise You, Lord God Almighty -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are One and You are holy. You are worthy of all honor and glory and praise. ... When we turn our thoughts to You, to behold Your glory, we realize how far beyond comprehension and words You really are. As the praise song declares, "You are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words." So we "stand in awe of You." Our human words and categories cannot do justice to describe Your nature or Your glory. Even the inspired images of Your Own Word only give a glimpse of Who You are in a way that we can only begin to understand. Yet, one day we will see You as You are and know You as You desire to be known. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known" (1 Corinthians 13.12). "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that God has sent His Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 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 4.12-17). Of all the titles, descriptions, and categories to try to understand You and Your relationship with us, perhaps this is the best of all -- You are Love, and You love us. One day soon, when we behold You face to face, we will know what love really is, for we will "know fully" Who Love really is. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Praying Friends, if the Lord is ministering His love and encouragement to you through our ministry, please consider including us in your monthly charitable giving. Even a small amount is a wonderful blessing and encouragement to us. Contributions to "Messiah Ministries" are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. God bless you! Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, KY 40502 To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Season of Lent 2-10-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I behold You, You are changing me. ... We've begun now what many traditions of the faith call the season of Lent. We begin forty days of preparation to mark Your journey to the cross and then the celebration of Your resurrection. Many begin this season of the journey with the "imposition of ashes" in the sign of the cross as a sacramental act of a spiritual truth. Let the mark of the cross upon our foreheads be a sign and seal of the mark of Christ upon our hearts. Let us not be afraid to stand out or to stand up. Let us be willing to be marked and identified with You as servants of God (Revelation 7.2-3). Let it be an outward symbol of the inward grace in our hearts. Let it not only be a physical act, but much more importantly, a spiritual truth. Teach us now how to bear the mark of Christ in these little ways, so that we will not flinch to bear the mark of Christ in the days to come when it will cost us much more than our pride. Fill us now with Your Spirit and teach us now Your ways, that we may stand and be counted as ones who follow You no matter the cost. "In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God's own people, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1.13-14). In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Ash Wednesday 2-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble myself in Your sight and wait in the silence of surrender for Your lead. ... Today is the day many traditions throughout the body of Christ call "Ash Wednesday." The ashes seem to speak of humility before God, recognizing our need for repentance and cleansing of all that defiles our souls. Under the Old Covenant, You used the laws and rituals to teach Your people Your spiritual truths, to point Your people to You. If anyone became unclean through the things they had done or the things done to them, they knew they needed to be cleansed. So it was for any who became unclean through the defilement of death in their camp: "For the unclean shall take some ashes from the burnt purification offering, and running water shall be added in a vessel; then a clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the furnishings, on all the persons who were there, and on whoever touched the bone, the slain, the corpse, or the grave. The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean ones on the third day and on the seventh day, thus purifying them on the seventh day. Then they shall wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water, and at evening they shall be clean" (Numbers 19.17-19). We are unclean by the sin in our hearts, and we feel unclean by the shame we bear from the things we have done and the things done to us. As David cried out, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51). We all fall short of the glory of God; we all need the cleansing of Your Living Water and the purification that comes only by the Blood of the Lamb of God, willingly and eternally sacrificed in Your love for us. All that was foreshadowed in the laws of the Old Covenant is now revealed in the grace of the New Covenant through coming of the promised Messiah. Though we were dead to ourselves, we are now alive in Christ. You have taken the hyssop wood of the Cross to apply the Blood of the Lamb to our sins and shame. We are washed in the Living Waters of Your Word, for You are the Word. On the third day, You rose from the grave and sprinkled us clean by Your victory over sin and death. On the seventh day, we enter in to the rest that You have prepared for us. We are holy and pure by the sacrifice of Your love, as we cease from striving to earn our salvation or earn our purification, but simply trust in You with repentant and thankful hearts. "For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the 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 9.13-14). Thank You, Lord, for letting us see our need to repent in the humility of ashes so that we can turn to You by Your grace and be made clean. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Tempest in a Teapot 2-8-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before anything else begins to cloud my mind this day, I devote my thoughts to You. ... There is a stirring in the spirit and a moving in the heavenlies, it seems. The image of swirling winds, like a hurricane, comes to mind; but I see it in a cup and saucer. I hear the old phrase, "a tempest in a teapot." As I look into Your Word for direction, I find this Scripture: "Our God comes and does not keep silence, before Him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around Him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth that He may judge His people: 'Gather to Me My faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.' The heavens declare His righteousness for God Himself is judge" (Psalm 50.3-6). Lord, what do these images and words mean? What is this stirring in the spirit, in a cup? "All the world is Mine and I am moving throughout the earth. The actions of those throughout all the earth affect one another, throughout all generations. None are isolated; none are exempt. All things move together. Nation affects nation; person affects person; generation affects generation. The earth is as cup of tea to Me. I am stirring in the earth, so I am stirring everywhere. None are isolated; none are exempt." Lord, open our eyes to see the reality of these days. Free us from any sense of false security, to think the storms in other regions and other families and other generations do not affect our own. Let us prepare now to find our security in You. Let us strengthen our relationship with You now, as we devote our thoughts to You, to be able to move with You and not against You. Sweep us into Your arms, so that we are not swept away in the tempest that swirls in the cup of our world. "When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever" (Proverbs 10.25). Lord, we have no righteousness apart from relationship with You. By the mercy of Your grace, move in our hearts like a tempest, as Your tempest moves in our world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Arise, My Soul, Arise! 2-7-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of the morning, let me see nothing but what You show me, let me hear nothing but what You say. ... "Arise, my soul, arise!" The words of one of Charles Wesley's ancient hymns stir my soul in worship and prayer this morning. Your Holy Spirit brings the confirmation of Your written Word to mind from Solomon and Isaiah: "My Beloved speaks and says to me: 'Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away" -- Song of Solomon 2.10. "Arise, shine; for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the face of the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you" -- Isaiah 60.1-2. Yes, Lord. Let our souls arise. Awaken us from our slumber. In the Spirit, the season of winter is passing and the calling of spring is coming. There comes a season of new beginnings, of awakenings. Stir the souls of Your people to arise and to awaken. As You called out to the generation of Your first disciples, so You are calling out to our generation, "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force" -- Matthew 11.12. "Arise, My people, arise! Awaken from your stupor as I revive you with My Spirit. Arise and take your places in My kingdom. Awaken and hold your positions in My army. You will move as one at My command. You will overcome the kingdoms of violence in the power of My love. Out of My love for My people who are lost and bound, I will send forth My army and advance My kingdom. Arise now that you may be prepared. Awaken now that you may be trained and equipped, ready to march against the kingdom of darkness in the light of My glory." Yes, Lord. We have much to learn. Give us a teachable spirit that You may train our hands for war in this spiritual battle we will fight on our knees with the weapons of love. You are Love, and Your love is compelling us to be prepared to fight. Forgive us for our passivity and complacence; forgive us for sleeping on our watch. Stir our souls to arise and shine, for our Light has come and Your glory is rising upon us -- the glory of Your Light, Who overcomes the darkness. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The Adventure of Prayer 2-6-05

Morning by Morning, Sunday 2-6-05 Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for You to come and wait for You to lead as I listen in the silence of surrender. ... Your ways are wonderful; Your words are life. You call us to surrender and to listen in silence. Then You can fill us with the fullness of Your presence. Then You can lift us to the heights of Your heavens. Teach us to pray -- to watch and to wait. Teach us to stay and not quick to pull away. You reward those who seek You with wisdom and peace. You come to those who come to You with bended hearts on bended knees. You bless us with Your presence as You open our eyes. You order the steps of our day before the sunrise. Help us to surrender all things to Your hands. To set aside the foolishness of our own mortal plans. Lead us on an adventure in the journey of pray. Take us to places where only angels are there. Open Your heavens, draw us near to Your side. Mount us on Your heavenly horses who lift us as we ride. Holy are You, Lord, and worthy of praise. King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The Ancient of Days. Eyes have not seen and ears have not heard The glories You'll show us as we come seek Your face. Yes, Lord. Thank you for this poem of prayer You've written this morning. Let it stir our hearts to seek You and join You in this journey of prayer. We are blessed that You want to include us on the adventure -- Revelation 19.11-16. As the worship song says, "Yes, Lord, we'll ride with You!" In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, some haved asked to use or add music to some of these poems or songs that come in the morning sometimes. Please feel free to use them and share them as the Lord leads. They belong to Him! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Fallow Ground 2-5-05

Saturday, February 5, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come fill my thoughts and fill my heart with Your presence and Your words. ... "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon You" -- Hosea 10.12. Yes, Lord. We confess that we have fallow ground in our lives -- the hardened places of our hearts where we've compromised our complete devotion to You. We've let the cares and worries and the busyness of life grow up like weeds in our hearts and harden the soil of our souls. At times it grows hard to hear the leading of Your voice and sense the nearness of Your presence. Let this be a sign to us and a call to repentance. Let the dryness of our spiritual life expose the hardness and barrenness of our hearts where the life of a living faith has been slowly choked off and overcome by the season of wilderness. Like soil intended to bring harvest, the soul always returns to the state of wilderness without the continual and deliberate process of cultivation and nurture. Forgive us for our passivity and the ways we fail to continually cultivate our relationship with You and allow the soil of our souls to become fallow and hard, in the wilderness apart from You. "Plow up, plow up the hardness of your hearts and the soil of your souls! Call to Me and I will answer. Look to Me and you will see. Open your hearts and I will come in. It is not fallow, hardened souls that I desire, but open hearts ready to receive the rain of My righteousness. Then your lives will bear much fruit, My fruit. Then I shall cause to spring up My harvest of holiness throughout all the earth. Then My glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea!" Yes, Lord. By Your grace and Your power, we choose this day to look to You and open our hearts to You. Come plow up the fallow ground, plant again Your seeds of life, and bring forth Your harvest in due season. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Humility is the Key 2-4-05

Friday, February 4, 2004 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in to the holy of holies in the communion of prayer, as I get quiet and still in Your presence. ... I hear You saying: "Humility is the key. Faith is important; obedience is important; courage is important -- but humility is the key." Yes, Lord. How hard it is to humble our hearts and bow our knees, to be emptied of ourselves that we may be filled with You. Humility slays our pride. Humility takes our minds off of ourselves and turns our hearts to others. Humility prepares the way for holiness, and holiness prepares the way for Your power. There is no revival without repentance and no repentance without humility. You modeled the key of humility when You humbled Yourself to the will of our Father to come into our world as Son of Man. "Do nothing from self ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, Who though He was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being formed in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross" -- Philippians 2.3-8. There is something about the call to humility that cuts through our pride, breaks down the walls of passionless religion and the traditions of man. To literally get down on our knees makes us feel weak and vulnerable as our pride is crushed. That's the point, isn't it, Lord? To come the place that we know and we are willing to show to You, to ourselves, and to others, that apart from You, we can do nothing. Your power is made perfect in our weakness, for whenever we are weak then we are truly strong -- 2 Corinthians 12.9-10. This mind that was in Christ Jesus cuts against every stirring of the flesh within us, and cuts against every teaching of the world around us. Teach us how to take up this key of the kingdom that unlocks the door to Your power being released through our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Worship and Praise 2-3-05

Thursday, February 3, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, enthroned on the praises of a thankful heart. Help me to look and listen, to watch and wait for Your leading. ... "Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name" -- Psalm 100.2-4. You created us for a relationship of love with You, for You are Love and You created us in Your image -- 1 John 4.16. Yet true love requires the freedom to choose to accept Your love or not, to obey Your will or not. Without that freedom, there would really be no love at all; we would just be robots. You have created us for a much more intimate relationship, one of trusting surrender and loving obedience. So You do not override our freedom to choose to love You and obey You, even though out of that same freedom comes the sin and destruction of ourselves, of one another, and of Your creation in our broken, fallen world. Our world is broken and fallen because of the choices we have made in the freedom You have given us -- freedom that is necessary, yet having both the power for good and for evil. Forgive us for the sin of using our freedom for our purposes to satisfy our own desires, rather than choosing to willingly submit our wills to Your will so that Your desires become our desires. This is the sin of pride -- self-centeredness and self-satisfaction and self-glorification. In pride, we exalt ourselves and worship ourselves, bowing down to our own graven image that we have created and worship and want others to worship. In Your mercy, break down our graven images and let our brokenness lead us to repentance, that You may forgive our sin of idolatry and pride. When we worship You and come into Your presence with songs of faith and love to You, our eyes are lifted from ourselves and restored to You. You are high and lifted up, enthroned again in Your place of Lordship in our lives. Our hearts are cleansed and restored as we worship You with thanksgiving in our hearts and praises on our lips. Thank You for the gift and the blessing of worship and praise. You use them as a means of Your grace to restore us into the intimate relationship of love we were created to live with You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

First Fruits of the Morning 2-2-05

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can, I choose to turn my eyes and my attention to You -- to behold Your glory and to welcome Your presence. ... Each day is an opportunity to choose this day Whom we will serve. By Your grace, we can choose how to begin -- with our eyes on You or ourselves, on Your provision or our lack, on Your peace or our problems. What a difference it makes to offer You the first fruits of our morning with the first thoughts of our minds. As we humble ourselves in Your sight, You exalt us into the glory of Your presence. As we watch and wait on You, You order the steps of our day. You seat us in the heavenly places as our eyes are fixed upon You, before we turn our attention to the callings of this world. Those callings are important, for You have placed us here in these earthly places to serve and to love the world as You so loved the world. But to give the callings and the needs of this world the first fruits of our first thoughts is just another form of idolatry. Forgive us of our sin of looking to others before You and answering the call of this world before answering the call of Your Spirit. Forgive us when we convince ourselves there is something just as holy or just as important about doing the things we need to do without first being the people we're called to be. "And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of this world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" -- Luke 12.29-32. As we learn to abide in You and in Your kingdom and as we learn to seek first Your kingdom, You bestow on us Your "blessings forever" and make us "glad with the joy of Your presence" -- Psalm 21.6. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Seated with Christ 2-1-05

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are alive and living in me--here in my heart and the hearts of all who believe in You and surrender their lives to You. Come fill me afresh and continually with Your Holy Spirit, the Promised Presence of our Father in heaven. ... "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. How amazing! Somehow by Your grace and in Your sovereignty, You have already seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. We live out our lives in this earthly realm, where time passes day by day; yet at the same time, we are also living out our lives in the eternity of the heavenly realm, where there is no limitation of time and space. In that realm, all things are present to You; and we are also already in that realm, because we are alive in Christ and Christ is alive in us. By the mystery and miracle of Your grace, every decision we will ever make has already been made in that dimension. Every sin that we will confess has already been forgiven; every wound we will receive has already been healed; and every bond that will ever bind us has already been broken. All that You will ever redeem by the power and authority of the blood of the Lamb through the sacrifice of Your life has already been redeemed--eternally. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"--Ephesians 1.3. Thank You for Your amazing love and grace. Help us live our lives the certainty of hope that these words are true and they can be trusted. Teach us how to live in this eternal dimension with the One Who holds all eternity in Your hands. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Send Me 1-31-05

Monday, January 31, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I entrust this day and my life to You. ... "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' And I said, 'Here am I, send me!" -- Isaiah 6.8. Your Spirit moved through our hearts and released your commission through our hands as a church last night. You sent forth our dear friends, Greg and Connie Gallaher, as missionaries to Cambodia to pastor a church of missionaries. You have been preparing their hearts, their minds, their souls, and their strength for this day, long before they knew it. It seems You do not so much prepare us for a particular mission as much as You prepare us to be available for any mission. This is the heart of complete surrender and complete obedience. This is the heart that is dead to self and alive to Christ. This is the heart that longs to hear Your call and longs to answer, "Here am I, Lord. Send me." Thank You for letting us see the model of the surrendered heart in Greg and Connie's lives and in the lives of so many others who have gone forward in the faith before us. This was the heart of Moses and Aaron, as they surrendered to Your call to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh. This was the heart of young Mary who said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word" -- Luke 1.38. This was Your heart as You emptied Yourself of the glory of heaven to answer our Father's call to take up the likeness of human flesh and blood to live out a perfect life so You could lay Your life down as a perfect sacrifice for us. We could not be more like You than we when we say, "Here am I, Lord. Send me." Prepare our hearts to be like Your heart. Prepare us each to be ready so that we are available for any mission, every day. Make us more like You each day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please agree with us in prayer for Greg & Connie Gallaher & their family for the Lord's provision in every way as they advance in the Kingdom this year. I pray for each of you as you answer the call to advance this year as well. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

You are There 1-30-05

Sunday, January 30, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give as much of me as I can give, and I receive as much of You as I can receive. Make me more like You each day. I decrease as You increase; now I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in these first moments of the morning. ... Lord, You are faithful and true. When we cry out to You, You answer. When we call upon Your name, You are there. Sometimes we see what You are doing in our midst and sometimes we don't, but we know because of the steady and sure pattern of Your faithfulness that You are there. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,' even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to You" -- Psalm 139.7-12. Thank You for being there for us -- no matter where we go, no matter what we do, You are there. What courage and peace that gives us. You go before us, You are our rear guard. You come along beside us and You lead the way. Though we do not always see You or hear You, we can know that we know that You are there, for You are faithful and true. And those times when the power of the glory of Your presence is so undeniably real, our hearts sing with delight and our spirits soar in praise. Thank You for the joy of Your eternal presence in our journey with You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for all your prayers for us at our healing prayer retreat this weekend. Surely the presence of the Lord was in this place! God bless you all with joy in your journey with Him. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Come 1-29-05

Saturday, January 29, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome in my heart and welcome in this place. I watch and wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit. ... Our song of invitation from the healing service last night still stirs in my spirit this morning: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come." You long to come into the hearts of all who will open their hearts to You. You love to step into every moment of brokenness and pain and shame in our lives to let Your light remove the darkness, to let Your love heal our wounds, and to let Your power deliver us from evil. Give us humility to let You come; give us courage to let You heal; give us faith to trust Your timing and Your ways. You healed Naaman from the leprosy that dwelt in his flesh, but only after his pride was broken and he humbled himself to Your timing and Your ways -- 2 Kings 5.1-14. Expose the leprosy in our lives -- the areas of our flesh that are unclean and dead to the life of Christ. Wash us in the Living Waters of Your Word and we shall be clean. Wash us seven times -- as long as it takes to bring to completion all that You have begun. You'll be faithful to complete it -- Philippians 1.6. As You heal us and make us whole, You are preparing a holy bride, washed and cleansed by the washing of the water of Your Word, that we may be holy and without blemish for the glorious coming of our glorious King -- Ephesians 5.25. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come. "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come" -- Revelation 22.17. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us in prayer at our healing prayer retreat, "Come Away with Jesus" sponsored by the churches of the Madisonville District of the Methodist Church in Princeton, KY this weekend. The Lord is touching hearts and changing lives -- God bless you all! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The Lord our Healer 1-28-05

Friday, January 28, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You and our Father are One, dwelling in the hearts of those who believe in You through trusting surrender, by Your Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come dwell in my heart and help me grow in understanding and intimacy with every dimension of Your Being and in every dimension of our relationship. ... Father, You have been preparing my heart for this weekend healing prayer retreat among Your children from the Methodist tradition and others, who will come to seek Your face and receive Your grace as You pour out Your healing love. I keep hearing You call to us to release our pain, our shame, our fear, our sin, our bondage, and our burdens to You. You want to draw out the pain and pour in Your love. You want to take what is broken and make us whole. You want to break the bonds that hold us and set us free. You are the Lord, our God, Who heals us -- Exodus 15.26. You have come to bind up the broken-hearted and set the captives free -- Isaiah 61; Luke 4.14-19. You are releasing a song of healing into the spirits of those who are broken and crushed in spirit, soul, or body: "Come to Me, My children. Come rest in your Father's love. Let Me take your pain away, let Me lift you here above. Give to Me your burdens; give to Me your shame. I'll heal you now; I'll make you whole; I'll set your spirits free." Yes, Lord. Help us receive Your healing song. Release us from the burdens and bondage of our past, that we might live free in the present, and press on to our calling and destiny of the future with the certain hope You have prepared in the heart of each of us -- Jeremiah 29.11. You love to bring victory into our lives where we have felt defeated, as You sing and rejoice over us with gladness and renew us in Your love -- Zephaniah 3.17-18. Come sing over us, Lord, and release Your songs of healing into our spirits here and throughout the earth. You are the Lord, our Healer. You are the Warrior, Who sets the captives free. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Fasting for His Presence 1-27-05

Thursday, January 27, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I hunger and thirst for You and the fullness of Your presence. May I be emptied of myself and filled with You as I begin this new day. ... We humble our souls with fasting -- Psalm 69.10. The mind, will, and emotions of our souls yield along with our bodies to the leading of our spirits, which hunger and thirst for You. Fasting is a physical expression of our spiritual hunger for You and the fullness of Your presence. The food and drink of this world does not satisfy our deepest longings, nor was it ever meant to. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" -- Matthew 5.3-6. You are our Righteousness, Lord. You are not what we do or don't do. You are the Living Presence of the Living God, Who comes to dwell in our hearts -- hearts humbled from selfish pride and yielded in trusting surrender to You. As we allow You to empty us of ourselves, You fill us with Yourself. Then we begin to think more like You think, desire what You desire, and live like You live because You are living through us. Then our lives will satisfy Your deepest longings: "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your Vindicator shall go before You, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I Am" -- Isaiah 58.6-9. Yes, Lord. Empty us of ourselves and fill us with You. Fill us continually, this day and every day, as we make room for You to live Your life through us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Certainty of His Sovereignty 1-26-05

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb. ... You are the Redeemer. You redeem all things, causing good to come out of bad, light out of darkness, and glory out of pain -- if we entrust them to You. Give us the patience of a sure hope that trusts in You and Your power to be at work in the midst of every struggle. You see the end from the beginning and release that certainty of Your sovereignty in our hearts. Sometimes You move instantaneously in the miraculous, most of the time You move in the process of time -- as we turn all things over to You in trusting faith. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" -- Hebrews 11.1. In Your timing and in Your way, You take the broken pieces of our lives and make them whole; You take away our bondages and set us free, as we call upon Your name and remember who we are. We are children of God; we are growing up into maturity; we are being prepared and transformed to live with You in glory forever. This broken and fallen world is not our home. "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, by the power that enables Him to make all things subject to Himself" -- Philippians 3.20-21. By faith, we trust You to continue to redeem us and transform us into the glory You have prepared for us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Simplicity 1-25-05

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence settle in to my soul. For these next moments, let me have no thought but You and the thoughts You bring to my mind. ... As the psalmist cries out, "I am Your servant, give me understanding, so that I may know Your decrees... Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" -- Psalm 119.125-30. Lord, teach us how to humble ourselves in Your sight, to let our soul submit in our mind, our will, our emotions to the leading of Your Spirit in our inmost being. Teach how to be quiet as we watch and wait for the leading of Your voice in the silence of surrender. You impart understanding to the simple -- those who simply look to You and listen for Your voice. This is wisdom, the understanding You impart to us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. This is more than knowledge about You, this is how we come to know You. As we know You more intimately, we can trust You more completely. As we grow in trust, we can grow in obedience. Obedience brings blessing, for we are at peace in the trusting surrender of our lives to You. Teach us how to walk in this holy path of simplicity. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leading a weekend healing prayer retreat in Princeton, Ky this weekend called "Come Away with Jesus" -- please keep us in your prayers for the Lord's healing grace to be released in spirit, soul, and body. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Wash Over Me 1-24-05

Monday, January 24, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my King. I willingly submit to Your rule in my life this day and every day through the trusting surrender of my soul to You. ... Wash over me. With Your Spirit and Your Word. Wash over me. With Your mercy and Your love. In You, I'm clean. In You, I'm free. Free by the blood of the Lamb. Free by the touch of Your hand. In You, I'm clean. In You, I'm free. Free by the blood of the Lamb. Free by the touch of Your hand. Wash over me. Thank You, Lord, for the peace and the joy that comes with surrender. Thank You for this new song You've sung in my spirit this morning. We pray You would release the song of the Lord in the spirits of Your children throughout the earth this day. As we draw near to You, You draw near to us. As we come with humble hearts in the trusting surrender of our soul, Your Spirit and Your Word wash over us. As You spoke through Moses to Your first generation of priests, so You speak to our generation as we come to You each day in the sanctuary of our hearts: "You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water" -- Exodus 29.4. Cleanse and sanctify us as a holy people that we may draw near to receive the mercy and love of our holy God. "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the Word, so as to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind---yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish" -- from Ephesians 5.25-27. Wash over us, Lord, that we may be the holy and glorious people You've called us to be by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we'd appreciate your prayers for our travel today as we leave the mountains for the plains of Texas, before returning home to Kentucky this week. We pray the Lord's blessings for you wherever you are and wherever He leads you. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Disciples of our Teacher 1-23-05

Sunday, January 23, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look to You with single-minded devotion and whole-hearted surrender. I humble my soul as You lift my spirit up into Your presence. ... "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle" -- James 3.1-2. Thank You, Lord, for allowing me the honor and the responsibility of teaching Your Word and Your principles of the Kingdom this week. May every word that was of You go forth with life and bear much fruit, and may every word that was of my flesh rather than Your Spirit fall to the ground and die. Help us all to grow in maturity and learn to walk in our gifts by the leading of Your Spirit, that we may see Your church grow up into maturity, to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Give us courage to move forward in the gifts You have given us and humility to receive Your correction with the wisdom to never stop learning. "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness" -- Romans 12.6-8. You are the Giver of the gifts; You are the Teacher of the teachers; You are the Leader of the leaders. May we give and teach and lead by Your power to Your glory for Your purposes. Though we may teach as You lead, You are our Teacher and we are You disciples. "A disciple is not above the Teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the Teacher" -- Luke 6.40. You qualify us to the degree that we trust You and obey You. Then we may be Your vessels of love and Your instruments of grace as we humble ourselves to be used by You for Your purposes. "The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning He wakens -- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught" -- Isaiah 50.4. Lord, let it be so in our lives as we learn the gifts You have given us and learn how to use them by Your power for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we closed our retreat for prayer ministry last night in Ruidoso, NM, with a beautiful and powerful healing service led by the Lord and many have given witness to changed lives. Thank you for your prayers and may you receive a double portion. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Continuing His Ministry 1-22-05

Saturday, January 22, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these next moments, let me hear nothing but the words You place in my heart, let me see nothing but the images You place in my mind. I give these first moments of my day to You as a willing sacrifice of worship and prayer. ... Lord Jesus, we love to sense Your joy as You continue Your ministry through the body of Christ on earth though the power of Your Holy Spirit to the glory of our Father in heaven. You taught Your first disciples how to minister healing and deliverance in Your name. Then You "gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal...They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere" -- Luke 9.1-6. You not only gave Your power and authority to these first twelve, but continued to teach, equip, and send forth Your disciples after them to continue Your ministry: "After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of Him in pair to every town and place where He Himself intended to go. He said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest...Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" -- Luke 10.1-9. When these disciples returned from obeying Your command to continue Your ministry in Your power, these "seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, in Your name even the demons submit to us!'" -- Luke 10.17. Their joy and their obedience gave You great joy: "At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will" -- Luke 10.21-22. Praise You, Lord Jesus! It has been beautiful these past days to see You move in power through Your disciples proclaiming Your kingdom and demonstrating the coming of Your kingdom with Your power, as You bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free! The harvest is plentiful, and it brings You joy to equip more laborers to send out into the harvest for the end of this age. You're still sending Your disciples to every town and place where You intend to go. What a joy it is to our hearts to sense the joy in Your heart as even now as You continue to rejoice in the Holy Spirit. We long for the day coming soon when You will come to receive Your harvest. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Wisdom from Above 1-21-05

Friday, January 21, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes to the hills, to the mountain of the Lord. You are my help and my strength. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice. I am refreshed and renewed in Your presence. ... Some say we should not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. It sounds practical and wise, but it is the wisdom of this world. Your Word calls us to a different perspective: "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" -- Colossians 3.1-4. "Yes, My son. Look to Me. I have not called you to be blinded to this world, for I have placed you in this world. Yet the priority of your perspective makes all the difference. Look first to Me, then to the world. Then you will see more clearly with my eyes and my perspective. Those who do not look to Me do not have My perspective. It is their own, influenced by the world they see. Though they think they are wise, they are wise in the ways of the world -- these are not My ways." Yes, Lord. Forgive us when we are so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good. As we take time to wait in Your presence and watch for Your leading, You are shaping our thoughts and focusing our vision on things above rather than things below. You are making us wise in Your ways, with a wisdom that is different from the world's. "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace" -- James 3.17-18. May we turn our eyes toward You and gain Your perspective each day before we turn our eyes toward the world for the day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Abiding in His Presence 1-20-05

Thursday, January 20, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Vine; I am one of Your branches. Let the life of Your Spirit flow through me as I abide in You. Let my life bear fruit for Your glory this day. ... "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in Me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples" -- John 15.4-8. Sometimes we feel withered or drained. Sometimes it is hard to see the fruit and meaning of our lives. This is the mercy of Your call to abide once again in You. A branch cut off from its vine cannot bear fruit; in fact, it cannot live long. When our spiritual life is withering, when we do not sense the flow of Your life and Your Spirit through our hearts and our lives, we know we are not abiding in You. Teach us how to abide -- how to open every level and depth of our being to You, with no restrictions and no resistance. Like the branch of the vine, the more life we receive from You, the more mature we become through the abiding flow of Your Spirit in us and through us. As we grow in spiritual maturity, our capacity to receive more of You and abide more in You grows. The more we grow, the more fruit our lives will bear to the glory of our Father in heaven. Our thoughts become more like Your thoughts; our will becomes more like Your will; and our lives reflect more of Your life. Then whatever we ask and whatever we do comes out of our abiding relationship with You. This is the fruit You desire to bear through the lives of Your disciples. As we abide in You, our lives bear fruit; and when we don't, we wither and die. Let it be life and not death that we choose as we learn to abide in You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for us. Our teaching and ministry is being very well received in New Mexico as the Lord is healing hearts, changing lives, and stirring a passion for His abiding presence. Please keep us in prayer as pray for each of you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Trusting and Intimate Relationship 1-19-05

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lead me in Your ways, teach me Your truth, live Your life through me this day. I welcome Your Holy Spirit here in my heart and here in this place as I come to my Father through You. ... "Good morning, My son. I am here in your heart and here in this place. I am everywhere, yet I reveal Myself as I will. I am in the air you breathe, yet I am not the air. I am in the light that displaces the darkness, yet I am not the light. I am Who I am. I long to reveal Myself to those who seek Me and I long to speak with those who will listen for Me. I have created My children for relationship with Me -- a trusting and intimate relationship. How much you see Me is determined by how much you seek Me; how much you hear Me is determined by how much you listen for Me. A trusting relationship takes time -- time with one another. An intimate relationship takes trust -- trust that comes with understanding My ways, My truth, and My life. These are learned and lived in relationship with Me. Let nothing hinder your relationship with Me -- no person, no attitude, no circumstance. I am here to give as much of Me as you will receive. Your response of trust to the continual offer of My presence determines the nature of the intimacy of our relationship. Choose well this day and every day." Yes, Lord. We could not choose You but by the grace You give us to choose. We could not desire You but by the grace You give us to desire. Yet, Your grace is available and You are willing. Forgive us when we hold back. It is us and not You that stand back when we let the things of this world distract us from seeking the fullness of Your presence. We say we want to be closer to You, but this kind of closeness takes time and attention. You have created us with freedom to choose how we will spend our time and to whom we will give our attention. Forgive us for our poor choices in the past and empower us to choose well this day and every day. Thank You for the promise of a trusting and intimate relationship: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not your harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon Me and come and pray to Me, I will hear you. When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me, says the Lord..." -- Jeremiah 29.11-14. We seek You today, Lord, with all our heart. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Mountain of His Presence 1-18-05

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I enter in to the holy place of prayer through the blood of the Lamb. I watch and wait for You as Your Spirit draws me near, beyond the veil, into the holy of holies of Your presence. ... We traveled yesterday from the cotton fields of west Texas, through the desert lands of eastern New Mexico, down into the valleys and the foothills, and finally up into the mountains of Ruidoso. They say in a song here this is where the desert touches the mountains and the mountains touch the sky. So it is in our journey with You. In the call to prayer, You draw us away from the fields of our labor, You remove from around us all distractions as You make us thirsty for Your presence, and lift us up into the heights of Your presence. When You spoke with Moses to give instruction and wisdom for life through Your commandments and taught him about the pattern of Your tabernacle for worship and prayer, You called him up to the mountain of Your presence. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Come to Me on the mountain, and wait there.... Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the cloud" -- Exodus 24.21-17. Thank You for the call to come to You in prayer, for lifting us high into Your presence, and for the patience to watch and wait until we hear You speak with us out of the cloud of Your glory. It was seven days before Moses heard Your voice from the cloud. Forgive us when we don’t obey the call to come. Forgive us when we come but don't wait long enough to hear Your voice. Open our eyes to see that the desert times in our journey of prayer only make us more thirsty and more determined to climb the mountain and wait as long as it takes to hear the Your voice. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we would appreciate your prayers this week, teaching and ministering on brokenness & dissociation, inner healing & deliverance, sponsored by Grace Harvest Church at our citywide conference in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Thank you! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Crossing Over 1-17-05

Monday, January 17, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my Rock and my Fortress. I stand secure in You. Let the steady strength of Your presence fill my soul as we begin a new day together. ... "Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing over" -- Joshua 3.1. Lord, You have said this is a year of advance for Your people and Your kingdom. Stir in our hearts to rise early, to seek Your face, to listen for Your voice. Like Joshua and those he led into the land of promise, we "have not passed this way before" -- Joshua 3.4. Only as we learn to hear Your voice with increasing sensitivity and sense Your leading with increasing confidence will we be able to cross over into this next phase of the journey. As we follow You, we will advance. As we advance in You, the Kingdom of God will be made manifest with increasing glory throughout the earth. As You commanded Joshua and his people to prepare for the advance, so You command us: "Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" -- Joshua 3.5. Though You have been merciful and gracious in times past, we cannot go forward into this next dimension of the Kingdom without being sanctified. The nearness and intensity of Your presence in our midst is increasing as we advance, and our flesh cannot stand in Your presence. "To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace" -- Romans 8.6. We must be sanctified by the purifying fires of Your Holy Spirit, Who consumes our flesh and empties us of ourselves, that we may be filled with the fullness of Your presence. As You advance in us, we will advance in Your Kingdom; and Your Kingdom will advance through us. Then we will see You do wonders among us -- wonders like the world and the church have never seen -- the wonders of a holy God manifesting the power and the presence of His Kingdom through His holy people. Continually sanctify us as we cross over into the land of promise. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Spirit of Intercession 1-16-05

Sunday, January 16, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my first thoughts be of You as I awaken to Your presence today. ... Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Spirit of prayer and intercession. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep words. And God, Who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" -- Romans 8.26-27. When You come to pray and intercede through us, we abide as one with Christ. "It is Christ Who died, yes, Who was raised, Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed intercedes for us" -- Romans 8.34. We are never closer to Christ than when You come, Holy Spirit of God, and lead our hearts to Jesus in intercession as You pray the will of our Father through us. "Consequently He is able to save completely those who approach God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" -- Hebrews 7.25. Lord God, as we enter into deeper levels of prayer in intimacy with You by Your Spirit, release the "sighs too deep for words" through us. This is the will of our Father in heaven You desire to pray through us in agreement with Jesus, so that Your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. These are the prayers without words that are the perfect prayers of God. Teach us how to draw so close to You in the trusting surrender of intimate prayer that You can intercede through us with these holy sighs that shake the heavens and move the earth into line with Your perfect will. As millions across the earth gather for worship, prayer, and the ministry of the Word this day, begin to release Your sighs of prayer through us even now. In Jesus' name we pray now through Your sighs too deep for words. ... Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The House of the Lord 1-15-05

Saturday, January 15, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, You are my All in All. Lord I need You and I seek You; I welcome You here in my heart in prayer. ... Our bodies are Your temple, our hearts are Your house of prayer. Forgive us, Lord, when we try to work at our jobs, parent our children, minister in Your kingdom without first seeking You. When we do, we depend upon ourselves rather than You and what comes is from ourselves rather than You. We are building our own kingdoms rather than Yours, exalting ourselves rather than You. It is just another form of the sin of idolatry because we bow down to our own plans and agendas rather than You. "Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it time for you yourselves to live in paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but you never have enough; you drink but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes" -- Haggai 1.2-6. Forgive us, Lord, for trying to build our own houses, without first building Yours. You said, "My house shall be a house of prayer" -- Luke 19.46. Teach us how to clear away place in our schedules, to lay a steady foundation with commitment, and to take the time to build a house that will stand the test of the storms of life. When the devil comes to huff and puff, this house will not fall down, because this house is a house of prayer. Then let us see how we fare. No matter what comes, we will stand firm -- because we will stand in You and You will stand in us. Lord, let it be so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouaraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Windmills in the Desert 1-14-05

Friday, January 14, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are worthy of all praise. I worship You in spirit and in truth. ... Like both of my grandfathers before him, my uncle is a west Texas cotton farmer. Driving from the airport yesterday we were looking across the vast plains as far as the eyes can see. Out here you don't see much but acres of cotton and pastures of cattle. He reminded me that this whole area was once known as an uninhabitable desert before the first windmill. There could be no life without water. Yet down deep awaited great reservoirs of life-giving water in the Ogalala Aquifer that stretches from Nebraska to Texas beneath the surface of the High Plains. Lord Jesus, You are the Source of our life-giving Water -- the Living Waters of Your Spirit, Who fills us with Your Life and flows through the desert places of our souls. You bring Your Life to all that You touch. "On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, He cried out, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me, and let the one who drinks in Me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now He said this about the Spirit, Which believer's in Him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified" -- John 7.37-39. Teach us how to dig deeply beneath the surface in prayer to reach the vast reservoirs of Your Living Water. Teach us how to erect the windmills of worship as we stand to praise You in spirit and in truth. Let the winds of Your Spirit begin to pump Your life into the desert places of our souls. "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God" -- Isaiah 35.1-2. As Your Living Water comes, the fields will be white for harvest -- John 4.35. Be encourged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

True Colors of the Soul 1-13-05

Thursday, January 13, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Reign in my thoughts; sharpen my focus. Deliver me from distractions as I seek Your face and receive Your grace to watch and wait for You in prayer. ... Lord, it's been a long night and a hectic morning. Delayed and canceled flights, long lines and long waits, bad weather and bad manners all around. The conflict and chaos of unplanned and uncontrollable circumstances has a way of exposing the true colors of our soul. At times I have seen the steadiness of Your peace in my spirit, and at times I have seen the irritability and selfishness of my flesh. Forgive me, Lord for the moments I've walked in the flesh and not in the Spirit. May I grow in maturity even through these times as You forgive me and cleanse me, redeeming it all by the Blood of the Lamb. Thank You for the blessing of this little space of time to return my thoughts to You. Your Word is steady in the midst of the confusion; Your voice is clear in the midst of the chaos. You convict me as You remind me that these minor struggles are really nothing compared to what millions of others are suffering through now and every day. And even that is really nothing in comparison to what You have suffered through for us all eternally. You will always bear the marks of Your suffering on Your hands and feet -- the marks of Your love for us. Thank You for renewing my perspective. It brings peace again to my spirit and crucifixion to my flesh. Let us learn to live in this perspective and let us learn from our mistakes when we don't. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

The Narrow Gate 1-12-05

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted in the heavens; be exalted in my heart. I humble my soul before You in the silence of surrender to listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" -- Matthew 7.13-14. Deliver us from destruction, Lord. Teach us how to enter in. Forgive us for thinking we could go along with the crowd and live by standards of this world, yet avoid destruction. Forgive us for thinking You have promised us an easy life, when You promised us the opposite -- "the road is hard that leads to life." It is hard because You call us to die to ourselves that we may live in You. Teach us how to follow Your road that we may enter in to Your gate. "My road is a relationship with Me. My gate is a way of life -- a lifestyle of allowing Me to live through you in the unique way for which you were created. Then you will truly live and truly be free. You will be free to be who I created you to be. Though the road will be hard, your yoke will be easy and your burden will be light. There will be joy and adventure in the journey, even though it is hard. It will be worth it. Come; follow Me. Walk in My steps. My steps lead to life and lead through every form of destruction. Though the body may be weathered and broken and even perish through the encounters of life in this fallen world, the spirit will live. It is in the spirit that perseveres that You know deep within the love and peace and joy of the journey with Me, though the road is hard. Come; follow Me. Come; join Me in the journey, My friends and My companions. Enter in through the narrow gate. I am the Gate." Yes, Lord. By Your grace, we choose to follow You and enter in. You are confirming Your spoken word now by Your written Word: "I am the Gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" -- John 10.9-10. Thank You for teaching us how to receive and live this life abundantly. Give us grace to live it out faithfully and in perseverance through the hard times along the road. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, Tricia and I will be leaving today for a minsitry trip of teaching, preaching, healing, and equipping the saints for the work of ministry in Lamesa, Texas and Ruidoso, New Mexico in a variety of settings and different traditions of the faith. Please keep us and those receiving ministry in prayer. And we'll always be praying for you. God bless you all! To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!

Fragrant Incense of Prayer 1-11-05

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 -- Morning by Morning Good morning, Lord Jesus. I come before You, worship and adore You, and listen for the leading of Your voice. ... I come before You, worship and adore You I lift my heart in praise. I lay down my burdens, pull back the curtains And enter Your holy place. Here in Your presence, my prayers are like incense Rising to Your heart. I feel Your pleasure, You receive my treasure The gift of my time with You. I am renewed now, centered on You now I rise to greet the day. Filled with Your Spirit, surrendered and yielded To live this day for You. Thank You, Lord, for writing this new song on my heart this morning. Thank You for reminding us of how much You treasure our time with You. It is amazing how much a difference it makes to offer You the first fruits of our day, so that we start off our day refreshed and renewed in the fullness of Your presence. "Let my prayer be counted as incense before You, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice" -- Psalm 141.2. We pray you would receive the offering of our prayers and the surrender of our lives as a fragrant offering of worship and adoration. Be glorified in our hearts from morning to evening and throughout every moment of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com God bless you!