Diversity in Unity 7-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, wash me in Your Word. ... There is a mystery of unity in the bond of Your Holy Sprit. As we grow in Christ, we grow in the bond of this unity -- becoming one with God and one with one another. Yet, there is diversity in the unity, because we never lose our individual identities even as we become one. Just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One, yet each Person of God is unique and personal. Godly unity makes us one, but not the same. I see a page of paper with the words, "I love You, Lord!" written over and over again. But the words are written in different fonts of every imaginable style. The words are in the unity of agreement, but they are different and unique from one another. You are a creative God and You have created us beautifully and uniquely. Rather than crushing that out of us through conformity into sameness, You are calling forth in us the diversity of Your creativity, as we grow into the maturity of unity. We are becoming one, but not the same. We are on the same page, saying the same thing, but saying it in different ways. They say the "Hallelujah" is the one word that is common all the languages of the world. As we shout "Hallelujah!" in every tribe and tongue throughout the earth, we are proclaiming in unity, "Praise God!" We all are making our declaration by the same Holy Spirit, yet in the endless variety and diversity of Your creation. There is creative diversity in godly unity. Lord teach us how to see and bless and encourage the diversity in one another, as You bring us together in Your bond of unity. We agree with Your prayer: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one. As You, Father, as in Me and I am in You, may they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17.20-21). Yes, Lord, make us one. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

One Thing 7-10-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Narrow the focus of my thoughts to one thing in this moment. Narrow my thoughts to seek You alone. ... "One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27.4). I seek You and behold You, to live in You as You live in me. Let my heart be Your temple, that I may live in the house of the Lord forever. As I behold You, You are changing me. As I am emptied of myself, I am filled up with You. I can't make it happen, but I can ask You to make it happen. And that is the desire that You have placed on my heart, in line with Your will, for this is Your will for all Your children. Like the man who sold everything he had to buy the treasure of his heart's desire, there was one thing he valued above all else (Matthew 13.44). I want You to become the One Thing I value above all else. That is my desire because You have made it my desire. Increase this desire until it becomes the reality of my heart, without compromise and without apology. By Your grace, I dedicate and consecrate all that I am and all that I have to You. You are the One Thing that I seek in these first moments of the morning. Become the One Thing that I seek throughout every moment of every day. You are my Treasure, and where my Treasure is, there my heart will be also (Matthew 6.21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

The Joy of the Lord 7-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my eyes upon You, seeking Your face and receiving Your grace. ... "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8.10). There is a mystery of joy in the midst of the battles that is not denial, but assurance. There is a mystery of peace in the midst of chaos that is not callous, but secure. Not the joy and peace of this world, but the joy and peace of the Lord, that is supernatural and unexplainable apart from an intimate relationship with You. It flows from the steady confidence that You are in charge, no matter what we face in the journey through this broken, fallen world. It wells up and flows out of the hearts of a people who are compassionate and available to the suffering of this world, but who are dead to this world and alive to Christ at the same time. It allows our hearts to break with Your heart in the tragedy and atrocity of evil, while never letting us lose hold of the firm grip of Your strong hand. The security and power of Your strength continually fills us with the joy and peace of Your presence and protection. "Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His anointed, saying, 'Let us burst their bonds asunder and cast their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, 'I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill' " (Psalm 2.1-6). This, too, is the Father heart of God -- a heart that breaks at the suffering and pain of His people, pouring out the love and compassion of His healing to redeem it all, while at the same, laughing from heaven in the face of the enemy who thinks he can frustrate Your purposes and plans. But God is in His heaven and He has established His King on earth. Your will will be done; Your kingdom will come -- on earth as it is in heaven, no matter what comes and no matter how long it takes. We can rejoice in this unwavering truth and find peace in this certain hope. The Kingdom of Heaven is established on earth as we establish You as the King of the kingdom of our hearts. "For the Kingdom of God is ... righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14.17). Come Holy Spirit, and fill us with the peace and joy of the Lord, as You establish the righteousness of God in our hearts and in the earth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Light in the Darkness 7-8-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Though the heavens tremble and the earth shakes, You are steady and secure, faithful and true. My hope and my trust is in You. ... These are dark days. Yet as the days grow darker still, Your light will shine ever more brightly in the midst of the darkness. The enemy of our souls moves in the heart of the wicked to terrorize the helpless. Like a beast lurking in the shadows to pounce upon its prey, he hides and schemes to attack the vulnerable, once paralyzed in the power of fear. But "God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1.7). The Spirit of God brings peace in the midst of the terror, and the power of good in the midst of the power of evil. Let us arise in faith and the power of Your Spirit, to be beacons of Your light in the darkness of this hour, drawing the fearful to the faithful One and the shaken to the One who is never shaken. "Arise, shine; for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60.1-3). "Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the oppressed. Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, 'You will not call us to account?' But You do see! Indeed You note trouble and grief, that You may take it into Your hands; the helpless commit themselves to You; You have been the helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until You find none. The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations perish from His land. O Lord, You will hear the desire of the meek; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more" (Psalm 12.10-18). ... In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Hearts Ablaze 7-7-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see You. ... In the Spirit, I see a pile of hot coals, glowing reddish-orange with intensity and heat. They are white around the edges, releasing small flames of fire that dance around the pile from coal to coal. Some dry branches and leaves fall upon the coals and spontaneously ignite in a blaze of fire. ... "These coals are the hearts of My people and the fire of My presence. They burn with intensity and the heat of a passion for Me. Gathered together, they fuel and feed one another, keeping their hearts burning inside. The fire of the presence of My Spirit burns from within, consuming all that comes in contact with them. They burn white with increasing purity and passionate intensity. In these days, My fire does not fall from heaven as much as it rises up from within the hearts of My people by the abiding presence of My Spirit. This is how I am setting the world ablaze -- to be purified or consumed in the blaze of My presence." Yes, Lord. Set our hearts ablaze with Your Holy Spirit. Draw us near to You and near to one another, so that the fire does not go out, but continues to burn with increasing intensity and purity, ablaze with a passion for You. Then bring us into contact with others who will be set ablaze with the fire of Your presence, until their hearts are burning within them, together with ours. Let the earth be set ablaze with Your glory, manifested and burning in the hearts of Your people. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

"Set your house in order" 7-6-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I ask for Your grace to spend these first moments alone with You. Help me seek nothing but Your face and hear nothing but Your voice. ... Lord, You are reminding me of a note I received yesterday about my devotional titled "Put things in order." Her pastor in southern Kentucky said You told him last fall to have his house in order by July 7th. "Every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses" (Matthew 18.16). If You were to move in power across our land, we be ready? If You were to send revival would we be prepared? If You were to return in glory, would You find faith on the earth? The last words of Your servant David are recorded in 2 Samuel 23. Before he died, he did his best to set his house in order. He said: "Is not my house like this with God? For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will He not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand; to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot" (2 Samuel 23.5-7). You are "a consuming Fire" (Hebrews 12.29). In the day of Your coming, Your Holy Fire will come "burning like an oven" to consume all that is unholy and impure -- all that is wood, hay, and stubble (Malachi 4.1-7). Only that which has been purified and fashioned in Your refining fire will remain. By Your grace, let us hear and obey. For though Your Fire will come in glory on the Day of the Lord, Your Holy Fire is already being released upon the earth and in our hearts, as that day nears. Give us revelation to understand these days, wisdom to prepare, and diligence to set our house in order. The most important thing to set in order is to set in order our relationship with You. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw -- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder suffers loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3.11-15). The truth is, we don't really even know how to completely set things in order, other than to try our best to hear and obey, all by Your grace. We ask for that grace. We ask for You to make us ready, to be prepared to love and minister in the ways of Your will in these coming days that are making way for the Day of the Lord. We ask for You to guide our thoughts and actions, so that what we have built with our lives will be built by You. "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127.1). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leaving for the Aldersgate Conference in Kansas City today to teach on the Holy Spirit and recieve the ministry of the Holy Spirit from others. Please keep us in your prayers, and pray that I won't miss out on anything the Lord is doing at home while I'm gone. I pray the same for you! To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

"Put things in order" 7-5-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By Your grace, I actively embrace the peace and the power of Your presence. In these first moments of the morning, form Your thoughts in my mind, Your desires in my heart, and Your purposes in my plans. Prepare me to serve You, in communion with Your Spirit, this day. ... "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Put things in order, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" (2 Corinthians 3.11-13). By Your Holy Spirit, You spoke these words through Paul to Your people to prepare for his coming. And You are still speaking Your words to us to prepare us for Your coming. Help us to "put things in order." Help us to embrace the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. As we do, we will be putting things in order in our relationship with You, with one another, and within ourselves. We will be restored in unity and intimacy with You and with one another. We will know and experience ever-increasing measures of the love and peace of God. Then, when You come, You will find a people whose hearts and lives are in order -- all by Your grace, in the power of Your love, living in communion with You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Declaration of Dependence on God 7-4-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can, I bring my heart and my life under God, in humility before You as my Creator. ... On July 4, 1776, the representatives of the people of our land declared their independence to become a sovereign nation. Yet in declaring their sovereignty as a nation, they also declared Your sovereignty over them. The final sentence of their Declaration of Independence proclaimed to all the world: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance upon the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor." You are Divine Providence, our Creator and God, worthy of our firm reliance upon Your protection and provision of all people in all nations, who humble themselves before You as a people of nations under God. "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations" (Psalm 22.27-28). Though You give us the freedom to choose to seek You and to know You, You desire that we humbly and faithfully use that freedom. As we do, You will lead us to Yourself and call us to acknowledge You as You are. "Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46.10). As You are exalted, we bow down before You in humility, obedience, and faith as a nation under God. "God is King over the nations; God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 48.7). As our forefathers modeled before us, we need not force one another to forgo the freedom to come to know You as You lead; but we can still acknowledge You as our Creator and God, our Divine Providence. Your Holy Spirit will lead us all into Your truth and into Your arms if we will seek You. "When you search for Me, you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29.13). As we are searching and seeking, let us do so humbly. Let our declaration of independence from the tyranny of the world be also a declaration of our dependence upon the God of heaven and earth. Then we will find favor and grace under the hand of Your Divine Providence. "Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage" (Psalm 33.12). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Wrunning the Wrace Well 7-3-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my heart and my thoughts toward You. ... As I went to sleep last night, I must have been wondering how to express my message at the Aldersgate Conference in Kansas City next week. They asked me to teach an equipping session on living life in the power of the Holy Spirit. You woke me early with these thoughts and Scriptures circling in my mind: We watch for Your presence, looking to see You in the face of every person and in the face of every circumstance (Psalm 59.9; Matthew 25.40; 2 Corinthians 3.18). We wait for Your leading, humbling ourselves before You in the surrender of the silence and in the simplicity of intimacy with You (Psalm 37.7 and 130.5-6; James 4.10). We worship You eternally in Spirit and in truth, looking to things above and not below, focusing on what is eternal rather than temporary (John 4.23-24; Colossians 3.1-4). We walk in Your ways, listening and learning by the leading of Your voice, as You wash us in the water of Your Word (Psalm 101.6 and 128.1; 1 John 1.7). We willingly submit to the Lordship of Christ in every area of our lives, as we continually decrease and You continually increase in our spirit and soul and body (1 Peter 3.15; John 3.30; 1 Thessalonians 5.23). We welcome Your Holy Spirit, as You continually fill us with the fullness of God and purify us in the fire of Your presence (Ephesians 3.14-21 and 5.18-20; Matthew 3.11; Acts 1.4-8). We wage war against the world, the flesh, and the devil, fighting the good fight of the faith with the spiritual weapons of our spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10.3-6; 1 Timothy 6.12). We wrestle against the principalities and powers of this present darkness by actively embracing the light of Your glory and the power of Your love, as Your light displaces the darkness and Your love satisfies the longings of our souls and the groaning of Your creation (Ephesians 6.12 and 5.11-14; Romans 8.19-23). We run the race ("wrun the wrace") of our high calling and purpose in Christ, letting go of the wounds and repenting of the sins of the past, living fully in the moments of our present, and embracing the destiny of our future (Hebrews 12.1-2; Philippians 3.12-14). We win the crown of righteousness -- not on the basis of our righteousness, but on Yours' alone -- all by Your grace, as You enforce the victory of the cross in every area of our lives and we lay down our crowns at the feet of the Righteous One (2 Timothy 4.7-8; Revelation 4.9-11). Thank You, Lord for this message and for this call to live life in the fullness of Your Spirit. Help us run the race of faith well. Forgive us for the times we've tried to live life in our own power without waiting to be filled with Your power from on high (Acts 1.4-8). Let us not only be hearers of Your Word, but doers of Your Word -- in the power of Your Spirit to the glory of our Father (Matthew 7.24-27). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us if you can and pray for us if you can't at Aldersgate 2005 -- the National Conference on Spirit-Filled Living in the Wesleyan Tradition, July 6-10 in Overland Park, Kansas. I will be teaching "Embracing the Power and Purpose of the Holy Spirit." For registration and details, see: www.aldersgaterenewal.org To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Trees Planted by the Water 7-2-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the heart and lead me in the place of prayer. ... "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2.6). Lord, let us not only begin well, but also finish well. Let us not only begin the journey in Your faith, but also finish the course in Your power. Like a tree that's planted by the water, let our roots of understanding seep more deeply into the depths of the water of Your Word; let our branches of worship in Your Spirit lift high to the praise of Your glory; and let the fruit of our lives draw others to You. Establish us securely in trusting, unwavering faith. Keep us growing deeper and higher, as we learn more of Your Word and Your ways, thankful and content in the blessing of Your grace. Then the storms and struggles that try to shift us and move us and topple us over shall not prevail. They may shape us like the winds that shape a cypress tree growing on the cliff at the water's edge, but they will not uproot us. They will only make the witness of our endurance by Your grace more beautiful and majestic, displaying the power of Your glory in the lives we live in You. "They shall be like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17.8). Let it be so. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Not Perfect, but Purposeful 7-1-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence fill my soul. ... Teach us Your ways and teach us how to teach our children Your ways. Convict us and forgive us when we fail. Let our lives be an example -- a good example -- to the generations who follow. Let them see Your words lived out in our actions. And when they don't, remind them that You are still perfect and holy even when we are not. But give us wisdom to let Your word and Your ways be our standard even though we may fall far short. There are lessons to be learned even from the failures. Even though we don't always practice what we preach, let us not stop trying to preach and teach Your words and trying to live and model Your ways. "You shall bind these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11.18-21). Yes, Lord. Surround us and saturate us with Your words as You teach us to live out Your ways -- whether we are at home or away, whether surrounded by people or all alone. Then our days will go well, our prayers will be answered, our lives will find meaning, and Your purpose will be fulfilled. We may not be perfect, but we can be purposeful in the power of Your grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Hurry Up and Wait 6-30-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me Your patience and Your grace to see You and Your purpose in all things. ... "Hurry up and wait" -- that seems to be the pattern for so much of our lives. We frantically rush to get somewhere, only to have to wait when we get there. We often focus so much on where we are going and what we have to do that we miss out on what's happening in the moment now. We were hurrying to get up early this morning -- to get the luggage loaded, to get down the mountain, across the desert, and over to the airport for our morning flight home. Now we're waiting. We're pulled over on the side of the road waiting for the military to test fire a missile that apparently must fly over this stretch of the desert highway. All that hurrying doesn't matter now as we sit and we wait. Whether we make it to El Paso in time to catch our plane is now out of our control. Yet, there is a surprising peace that comes when we realize we really are out of control. Lord bring us Your peace that comes when we come to place of recognizing we are out of control. "The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps" (Proverbs 16.9). The choices we make are real, and the consequences of our decisions have infinite significance. Yet at the same time, You are at work in them and through them and in spite of them, patiently bringing Your sovereign plans to pass. "The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established" (Proverbs 19.21). Give us patience to wait, peace not to worry, and faith to know You are at work in all circumstances as we entrust our circumstances to You. Thank You for a moment to stop and pray and write, when I didn't think I had time this morning. As soon as You are ready, Lord, let them fire these missiles, so we can patiently move on through this desert to the airport. There we will excitedly celebrate the miracle that You hold time in Your hands or faithfully trust that You redeem all things, as we patiently wait for the next flight home. We entrust our plans to You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, God is good! As soon as I finished writing my prayer on my laptop by the side of the road, we were released to go. I'm sending Thursday's prayer today since I was not able to send it yesterday. We've made it home and thank you for your prayers. To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"Abba! Father!" 6-29-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Waiting in the silence of surrender, I humble myself in Your sight as best as I can, as You lift me up into the arms of Your presence. I welcome Your Holy Spirit to abide in me as I abide in You. ... "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' " (Galatians 4.4-6). "Abba" was a term of endearment and intimate trust, lovingly expressed by Jewish children of all ages to their father. It's like calling out, "Daddy!" It is not formal, not distant; it is tender and free, loving and pure. It leaves no room for stale religiosity or cool formality. It is a bold expression of a confident relationship, requiring no justification, no explanation -- it just is. In the tradition of my native Texas, I've always wanted my kids to keep calling me "Daddy." Sometimes they still do, but it's usually when they really want something. Most of the time, I have to settle for the shortened, more culturally accepted version of "Dad." Only when my oldest son, Zachary, is trying to be funny with mocking politeness and strategic obedience do I hear the more formal title of "Father." I usually respond with equal formality, "Yes, my son." The titles and tones of how we call out to one another often conveys the state of our heart and the level of intimacy, trust, and respect in our relationship at any given moment. So it is with us. You are our Father and we are Your children. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5.5). You are the God of all creation, and we honor You, respect You, worship You, and fear You. Yet, at the same time, we cry out to You with affection and intimacy, yearning for the nearness of Your presence. You are our God, but You are also our Father. You are our Father, but You are also our Daddy, Abba. There is something about the intimacy and purity of this endearing term of the heart that humbles our hearts and slays our pride to draw us near to You in the trusting, confident faith of little children. No matter what pressures of superficial religion, cultural insecurities, or self-righteous pride may try to distance us, let us never lose this blessing and gift of intimacy with You. Until he died when I was twenty-three, I called my earthly father "Daddy." That's still how I refer to him today, but I remember seeing a John Wayne movie when I was young. His character was a gunfighter in the old west who had had a distant relationship with his sons since they were young. Now they were grown men and one of them called John Wayne's character "Daddy." He said to his son, "You can call me 'Father,' or you can call me 'Sir,' or you can call me 'a son of a gun,' but don't you ever call me 'Daddy.' I started to think there must be something wrong with calling my dad "Daddy," so I quit for a while. But it never seemed right and in time, I overcame my insecurities and self-consciousness and the peer pressures and influences of the media -- even my hero John Wayne, and went back to "Daddy." Daddy Abba, Father God, let it never seem right to be distant from You. Give us the courage and the passion to never let the superficiality and vain formality of religion replace the intensity and intimacy of our personal relationship with You. Thank You for the gift and grace of sending the Spirit of Your Son into our hearts to cry out to You in the childlike faith, "Abba! Father!" In Jesus' name we pray , Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, as we have been away on our family vacation, I hope you haven't minded the longer, later devotionals. I've had more time to reflect and pray. (My brother-in-law Aaron says he has to save them for the next day so he can still read them in the morning). Thanks for your patience! We will be returning home to Kentucky on Thursday, more rested and renewed. Thank you for your prayers for us and I pray for rest and renewal for each of you. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Waiting in the Silence of Surrender 6-28-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Refresh me and renew me in the power of the presence of Your Spirit. ... My youngest daughter, Madison, turned ten this summer. She told me a while back that she doesn't need to read my morning prayers each day because I always pray the same thing. I don't think she ever makes it past, "Good morning, Lord Jesus." It is true that for this past year and a half that You've been calling me to pray in this way, I've settled in to a familiar pattern that helps me center my heart and soul on You. Though I pray many different ways throughout the day, calling upon Your name in every dimension of Your Being as Father, as Son, as Holy Spirit, I begin these morning prayers centered on You, Lord Jesus Christ. When we turn our hearts to God in prayer, the Father is always sending the Holy Spirit to lead us (Romans 8.26-27); and the Holy Spirit is always leading us to Jesus (John 14.26 and 15.26); and Jesus is always revealing the heart and will of the Father (John 14.10-11). As we enter in to the communion of prayer in trusting surrender, You increase and we decrease. As we wait in the quiet of the silence before You, You still our thoughts and open our hearts. As be embrace You in the intimacy and intensity of seeking the fullness of Your presence, You begin to cause Your thoughts to be our thoughts and Your desires to be our desires. You abide in us and we abide in You, as closely as the created can abide in the Creator (John 14.15-17 and 15.1-11). As I seek You each morning and begin to consciously and deliberately open my human spirit to Your Holy Spirit, You lead me to watch and wait in the silence of surrender, in humility before You. The " ... " of my morning devotional is the time of silence as I watch and wait for Your leading -- sometimes for a moment, sometimes for much longer -- until You begin to form Your thoughts and desires in my mind and heart. As I surrender and entrust myself to You, You bring me back into created order, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, as You bring my body into submission to my soul, my soul into submission to my spirit, and my spirit into submission to Your Holy Spirit. This is a dimension of "the communion of the Holy Spirit" by "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" as we soak in "the love of God" (2 Corinthians 3.13). "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37.6). "Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long" (Psalm 25.4-5). "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning" (Psalm 130.5-6). "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40.31). As we turn our hearts toward You and lift up our faces to behold You, Your Holy Spirit is changing us and conforming us into the image of Christ, the Son of God, to the glory of God our Father (Romans 8.29-30). As we behold You in worship and prayer, we become more like You; for we become like what we worship. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3.18). This is all part of the mystery of abiding in Christ and allowing Christ to abide in us -- the God of the universe humbling Himself in love and grace to live in our hearts and fill us with Your Spirit, that we "may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3.13-21). "Morning by morning" You feed us Your Word, as much as we need for day (Exodus 16.21). "Morning by morning" You teach us Your ways and lead us in Your paths (Isaiah 50.4). Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never come to an end; they are "new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3.22-24). As we begin our days focused and centered on You, we rise from prayer to embrace the challenges of the day, empowered and anointed by Your Holy Spirit, to fulfill our calling and live our destiny in Christ on earth, to the glory of our Father in heaven. What an amazing mystery; what amazing grace. Help us to embrace You as we seek You. Form us, and conform us, and transform us, as You make us more like You each day, while we watch and pray. As we learn to watch and wait for You in the silence of surrender and the intimacy of Your presence, we will not be disappointed. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come if you can to the Annual Conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries in Kansas City this year, July 6-10, "The National Conference on Spirit-filled Living in the Wesleyan Tradition." I will be teaching one of the equipping sessions on being empowerd with the Holy Spirit. For details or registration, please contact them online at www.aldersgaterenewal.org To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Obedience Brings Blessing 6-27-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me get quiet and still, as I center my thoughts on You at the start of this day. Open Your Word to me, that You can live Your Word through me this day. Correct me where I am wrong; convict me where I sin, that I can turn again to You and to Your path that leads to life and life abundant. ... "See, I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in His ways, and observing His commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess" (Deuteronomy 30.15-16). The grace of freedom is the power to choose. You set before us the choice to obey or disobey, to trust in You or trust in ourselves, to follow Your paths or follow our own. One way leads to life and prosperity, the other to death and adversity. Whether we like it or not, obedience is a spiritual principle: "Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous" Proverbs 13.21). Yet, it is not all or nothing; and we each experience a measure of it all -- both prosperity and adversity -- as we journey through a broken and fallen world, surrounded by broken and fallen people, confronted by our own brokenness and fallenness. But there is a general direction and overarching theme to the flow of our lives toward life or toward death, toward prosperity or toward adversity. If we keep looking to You and trusting in You, You redeem even our times of adversity into prosperity and redeem the struggles with death into victories of life. So how do we obey You? As Your Word says: by loving You, by walking in Your ways, by observing Your principles. Then we shall live and become numerous, then You will bless us in the land You have sent us to possess. Is obedience just an Old Covenant principle? You personally confirmed the necessity of obedience which brings the reward of blessing as a New Covenant principle, saying, "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it" (Luke 11.28). As Your Holy Spirit said through Paul, "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit" (Galatians 6.7-8). Give us the grace and desire to obey You, trusting that You know what is best for us, for You created us and the spiritual principles that govern us. Continue the process of putting to death the desires of our flesh that rebel from obedience to Your Spirit. If we truly love You and trust You, we will obey You, by the grace that You freely give to those who ask (John 15.10). Then we will prosper even through adversity and we will live an abundant life even in the face of death -- all to Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Perspective 6-26-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Open my eyes, let me see. Here I am to worship; here I am to bow down; here I am to say that You're my God. ..." Thank You for waking me with this song of worship going through my mind and rising up in my spirit this morning. ... To open our eyes is to give us Your perspective -- to see more as You see, to seek more what You seek. Lord, give us Your perspective, Your worldview. Cause the things that break Your heart to break our heart; cause the things that bring You joy to bring us joy. This is the attitude we desire, the heart we desire, the way of life we desire. Even the desire for these things is by the grace You place in a heart that's willing to embrace it. "The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God" (Psalm 14.2). To seek after You is to seek Your ways, Your purposes, Your heart -- to seek to be more like You. Yet we acknowledge that our ways are not yet like Your ways and our thoughts are not yet like Your thoughts. So, You call us to seek You, because in the seeking we are changed. In looking for You, our eyes are opened. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that He may have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, not are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55.6-9). This is where we begin, but this is not where we are to end. You have called us to grow in the wisdom of Your ways as we grow in spiritual maturity. "But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4.15). We are to "grow in the knowledge of the Lord" and "be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" so that "we may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him" (Colossians 1.9-10). Though we have not yet fully "known the mind of the Lord," we are called to "have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2.16). Forgive us for settling for less. Forgive us for embracing our lack of wisdom and knowledge of Your thoughts and Your ways. Free us from the complacency of our spiritual laziness. Deliver us from the deception of our spiritual blindness. Open our eyes to see You as we seek You. Open our minds to grow in Your wisdom and Your ways. Feed us with Your Word and fill us with Your Spirit, as we bow down and worship You. "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2.2-3). By Your grace, let us grow in Your perspective. Open our eyes, and let us see. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 6-25-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome the Holy Spirit to center my thoughts on You, as You perfectly reveal the heart of our Father. Cause my heart to be more like Your heart each day. ... Lord Jesus, You and the Holy Spirit and the Father are One; and You come to make Your home in us, dwelling in the hearts and souls of Your people (John 14.1-31). You are the Vine and we are the branches. You cleanse us by Your Word and abide in us by Your Spirit, that we may bear the fruit of Your love in the earth (John 15.1-17). We do not belong to the world, but You have chosen us out of the world to be a witness of Your truth and love and word in the world (John 15.18-27). Yet we will stand firm as we stand in You and You stand in us. We will speak the truth as we abide in You and You abide in us, for You are the Truth and You have given us Your Spirit of Truth, Who always speaks of You and reveals the heart of the Father of Truth. "When the Advocate comes, Whom I will send to You from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes from the Father, He will testify on My behalf" (John 15.26). As Your Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our hearts and souls in increasing measure, to the degree we submit and entrust our lives to You, we understand more of Your ways and seek to live our lives in more of Your nature. "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said I will take what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16.16-13). Yes, Lord. Cleanse us in Your Word and fill us with Your Spirit. Conform our hearts to the heart of our Father, conform our minds to the mind of Christ, fill our lives with the life of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"Word of Christ" 6-24-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my ears to hear Your Word, open my eyes to see what You are doing, open my heart to receive Your love, open my mind to understand Your wisdom. In these moments of the morning, shut me away with You, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish each other in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3.16-17). Yes, Lord. Let Your word dwell in us richly -- Your written Word and Your living Word. You are the Word made flesh and You are the Word Who has come to dwell in our hearts by Your Spirit, to the glory of our Father, in the name of the Son. Giving thanks and singing songs to You opens our human spirits to receive Your Holy Spirit. Lifting up words of thanksgiving and praise to You opens our hearts and minds to receive the word of Christ. Then You come and dwell richly in the depths of our being. You come and mold us more into Your nature, teach us more of Your wisdom, and direct us more into Your purpose. As we receive from You, so we give to one another. Come dwell richly in us today, holy Word of God, living Word of Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Spiritual Pneumonia 6-23-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I breathe in the breath of Your Spirit. ... As the lungs draw in the air to oxygenate the blood, let our human spirits draw in Your Holy Spirit to sanctify our souls. As the worship song says, "You are the air I breathe.... Your Holy Presence, living in me." "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breathe of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33.4). Your Spirit is the breath of life that quickens our human spirit to know You, to praise You, to live our lives for You, as long as we have breathe. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150.6). You've been reminding me that the root word for "spirit" and "breath" in the New Testament is the Greek word "pneuma." This must be the same root word for pneumonia. You desire to fill our souls with the life-giving breath of Your Spirit, while the enemy of our souls desires to fill our lungs and our lives with infection and disease to steal away the breath of life. Pneumonia is a picture in the physical realm of the enemy's strategy in the spiritual realm. We are to be continually emptied of ourselves and continually filled with You -- to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5.18). By attacking our spiritual lungs to keep us sick and diseased, we cannot breathe in the breath of Your life. When we are filled up with the unholy things of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we cannot be filled with Your Holy Spirit. Create in us a clean heart, O God; and cleanse our souls with Your Presence. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51.10-12). You came to Your first disciples and "breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20.22). Breathe on us today, Lord Jesus. Fill us afresh and continually with Your Holy Spirit. Cleanse us in Your life-giving blood, fill us with Your life-giving Spirit, and deliver us from spiritual pneumonia. Let Your Holy Presence live in us and through us to Your glory. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!

Shadow of Your Wings 6-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Each day is a new day to experience Your grace in a new way. Open the eyes of my spirit to see You now, that I may see You moving in every circumstance throughout this day. ... "My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises You with joyful lips when I think of You on my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63.5-8). Under the shadow of Your wings, we know You are there soaring over our lives as an eagle, keenly aware of all that surrounds us. In the palm of Your right hand, You hold us secure, helping us release our burdens and worries to You. In the intimacy and intensity of our souls clinging to You, we are freed to stand firm in the confidence of Your power and Your presence in all that we face. You are abiding in us and we are abiding in You. Draw our thoughts to think of You, open our hearts to meditate on You, as we begin the experience of each new day. Then our mouths will praise You and our spirits will thank You for the peace and joy of Your presence with us throughout every circumstance of every day. This is the rich feast of the security of Your presence with us through it all that satisfies our longings and fulfills our desires. Nothing else and no one else will do. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502.