No Fear 8-31-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let faith overcome fear. You are our strong tower, our fortress, and our refuge, not matter what comes. ... "But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43.1-3). You have not promised us that there will be no suffering in this journey through a broken and fallen world. All creation groans under the weight of the burden of sin throughout the generations and throughout the nations. Instead, You have warned us that we will pass through the waters, the rivers, and the fires -- and all that these things speak of in a world that has opened the door to the evil one, who comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10.10). Even so, we need not fear, for You have overcome the world (John 16.33). As You have encouraged us in the times when we face the destructive forces that come rushing in like a flood through the doors we've left open throughout the generations, "Do not fear, for I am with you" (Isaiah 43.5). As we stand in You and You stand in us, we overcome all that would try to overcome us. No matter our physical circumstances, no matter the personal tribulations we face in a broken and fallen world, we are overcomers in You. "Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4.4). But woe to those who do not stand in You and have not received You to stand with them when the waters, and rivers, and fires come. We were never created to withstand this world without You. Draw them near to You now, that they may stand in You then, no matter what comes. Use even the sufferings of this age and use even the evils of this present darkness to awaken us all to our desperate need of You -- our need for the God who longs to draw near, who longs to be our refuge and our strength in every circumstance we face. You are the God "who makes a way in the sea, a path through the mighty waters" (Isaiah 43.16). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we join our hearts and prayers with those around the world for the people suffering in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast. May they find spiriutal and physical refuge in the Lord, and may we answer the call to help as He leads. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Days of Noah 8-30-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be my quiet in the midst of the storm; be my high tower in the midst of the flood. By Your grace and in response to Your love, I put my hope and trust in You moment by moment and day by day. ... We pray for those who are devastated by the storms and floods at New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. Many have lost everything, even their lives. Others will only come to find out in the days ahead of the depths of destruction. In a moment, the lives they knew were changed forever. Some see You now face to face and others wish they could. Some were prepared for eternity and some were not, yet eternity came. In the places of refuge and shelter, let those who know You as their source of security and peace bring hope and peace to those who don't. Use every moment of this tragedy to lead them into the security of Your arms. Let those of us who are not there reach out in prayer and in labor as You would lead in Your love. You are a loving and merciful God "who desires everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2.4). So let us each be prepared in our hearts and souls for the days of the storms and floods that will come bursting into our lives as they did into theirs. "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot; they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them -- it will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it" (Luke 17.26-33). We do not know when that day will come and we do not know when our day will come. But we do know we can be prepared. If we have our lives entrusted to You, even though our earthly lives and all we know of life on this earth be washed away in a moment, yet shall we live forever secure in You (John 11.25-26). "The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as King forever. May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace" (Psalm 29.10-11). 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Rescued from Darkness 8-29-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Show me Your will and lead me in Your ways, as I commit my life into Your hands again this day. ... "May you be strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1.11-14). We joyfully give You thanks, our Father. You love us and pursue us to rescue us from all the dark places and the dark things that keep us from fully knowing the light of Your glory. Forgive us when we begin to take for granted our lives of freedom in the light of the kingdom of Your Son. Deliver us from the self-pity, impatience, dissatisfaction, and grumbling that can set in when our blessings become our curse because we have forgotten how cursed we were in the darkness before You rescued us and delivered us into Your light. Remind of how bound we were so we can be thankful for how free we are. As we remember Your great mercy and power with thankful hearts of praise, turn our thoughts and hearts to others who are still bound by the darkness. Open our ears to hear their cry, soften our hearts to answer. Let us be Your heart and Your hands in Your power to rescue them from the power of darkness, as You used others to rescue us. This is "the inheritance of the saints in the light." 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Loose the Bonds of Injustice" 8-28-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in to the holy of holies in the intimacy of communion in prayer. Put on my heart what is on Your heart, bring to my mind what is on Your mind. ... "Is this not 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? " (Isaiah 58.6). Yes, Lord. Free us from false religion. Deliver us from the comfort of passive spirituality. Let Your desires become our desires and Your actions become our actions. Let the things that break Your heart break our heart, and let the things that bring You joy bring us joy. Open our ears to hear the cry of injustice; open our eyes to see the suffering of the oppressed. Empower us to answer by the leading and anointing of Your Spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61.1-2). Whether we answer Your call to go to the nations or to go to our knees, let us take our place and answer Your call. You are a God of justice and mercy. You are a God who delivers those who are bound and frees those who are oppressed. "For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, You have broken as on the day of Midian" (Isaiah 9.4). And in Your sovereignty, You have chosen to do this through Your people whom You have anointed with Your Spirit, in answer to Your call, to bring glory to Your name. Let us hear Your call and let us answer -- all by Your grace, all in Your power, and all for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, this Sunday morning my home church (Centenary United Methodist in Lexington) will commission Gerry Calvert and me to join a small team of Christian lawyers with International Justice Mission in Tamil Nadu, India August 31 through September 11 (www.ijm.org). We will work with the laws of that nation to fight for the freedom from oppression of many who are illegally held in bonded slavery, including women and children. Please stand with us in prayer as the leaders of our church lays hands on us and pray for the commissioning of the Holy Spirit this Sunday (Acts 13.1-3). And I pray the Lord will call you and commission you and empower you for His calling and purpose for this season of your life. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Can You Hear? 8-27-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me get quiet; help me listen for the leading of Your Spirit. ... Can you hear the cries of My people? Can you hear them calling on My name? Can you hear them praying for deliverance? Can you hear them seek My face? Will you go in My name? Will you go in My power? Will you tell them that I love them? Will you show them in this hour? You are My body and My church; You are empowered to do your part. You are filled with My Spirit; You are My hands and My heart. "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you still a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12.27-31). Yes, Lord. Help us be humble enough to hear and obey Your word. Help us be faithful enough to arise in Your power and go forth in Your name -- wherever and to whomever You send us. Make us one with You, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world. Let us each find our part and answer our calling, continually growing in maturity, that we may be Your body, in the power of Your Spirit, to the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, this Sunday morning my home church (Centenary United Methodist in Lexington) will commission Gerry Calvert and me to join a small team of Christian lawyers with International Justice Mission in Tamil Nadu, India August 31 through September 11 with (www.ijm.org). We will work with the laws of that nation to fight for the freedom from oppression of many who are illegally held in bonded slavery. Please stand with us in prayer as the leaders of our church lays hands on us and pray for the commissioning of the Holy Spirit this Sunday (Acts 13.1-3). And I pray the Lord will call you and commission you and empower you for His calling and purpose for this season of your life. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

From Doubting to Declaration 8-26-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Healer and Deliverer, Savior and Lord, You are my Rock and my Fortress, my Power and my Strength. I worship You and welcome You into my heart and my life. ... As we seek You and behold You, You strengthen our trust and encourage our faith. You remove all doubt and unbelief of Your goodness and Your power. Thomas doubted until He saw You face to face in Your resurrected power. Then You changed his doubt and unbelief into a powerful declaration of faith. Thomas said to the others, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of His nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe." Then he saw You. In a moment his doubt was consumed in the glory of Your presence. You told Thomas, "Put your finger here and see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it in My side. Do not doubt but believe." As he beheld You, he believed You. He welcomed You and worshiped You, declaring to You and to all, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20.24-28). You commanded Thomas not to doubt; You called him to believe. The blessing of believing came as he reached out to You and beheld You in the glory of Your presence. Help us reach out to You. Help us behold You. Open the eyes of our hearts to see You as You are in Your resurrected power -- the power that changes our doubts into faith. 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"To Destroy the Works of the Devil" 8-25-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You must increase and I must decrease. I surrender all again to You this day. ... "The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3.8). C.S. Lewis said the devil's most effect strategy is to convince us that he does not exist. In human pride and worldly naiveté, Your own church is often confused and deceived into believing we are wiser than Your Word and we have advanced beyond the truths of Scripture to understand how the world really works. We think we have learned that there really is no devil, but only psychosis, imagination, and chemical imbalance. Yet the Word of God says this is the very purpose for which the Son of God was revealed, "to destroy the works of the devil." This is not a marginal or an ancillary part of Your ministry, this is the very heart of Your ministry. You commissioned us to continue Your ministry in the power of Your Spirit: "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.' When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20.21-22). This was why the Father sent You, the is why You have sent us. "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using My name they will cast out demons...." (Mark 16.15-17). One of Your children is suffering under the works of the devil. He's grown weary of listening to the lies from the voices in his head. These are not Your thoughts and these are not his thoughts that try to get him to lose his hope, renounce his faith, and end his life. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10.10). As Paul warned the Christian believers at Corinth, we can be "deceived" by "the serpent" so that our "thoughts will be led astray from a pure and sincere devotion to Christ" to the point that we even "receive a different spirit than the One we received" (2 Corinthians 11.3-4). Help us set aside our pride and the world's wisdom to remember in humility it is Your church that You taught to pray, "Deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6.13, KJV). It is Your church that Your word warns, "Like a roaring lion, your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5.8). But today, the true Lion -- the Lion of the Tribe of Judah -- will roar! The enemy of this young man's soul will be scattered by the power of Your Spirit to the glory of Your name. We overcome our enemy "by the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 12.11). As his mother and his pastor and those who love him enough to fight for him come with him to call upon Your name in the power of Your Spirit, the Son of God will be revealed and the Son of God will destroy the works of the devil. You came to "proclaim release to the captives" and "to let the oppressed go free" (Luke 4.18). You have not changed and Your mission has not changed. Neither has ours. As the Father sent the Son, so You have sent us, in the power of Your Spirit. We thank You now for the victory of the cross You will enforce in his life and in ours, all for Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, this family and this church is asking for prayer. Please join us in prayer for Johnathon today and each day as he walks out the victory Jesus has already won for him at the cross. Let us pray for one another, that we would be delivered from evil as the Lord Jesus Christ continues to destory the works of the devil, enforcing the victory of His cross by the power of His blood through His Spirit in His church for His glory. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Vine and Branches 8-24-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are welcome to abide in me; help me to abide in You. You are my vine; let me be one of Your branches. Let my life and this day bear fruit that pleases You. ... I believe I hear You say to us, "I am the vine. You are My branches. I extend My heart through you, My word through you, My will through you. Live and move and have your being in Me so that I may live and move and have My being through you. I fill you, as you are emptied of yourselves. I increase as you allow My will and My desires to become yours, and you decrease as you entrust your mind and heart to Me. This is how you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. This is how your mind becomes like the mind of Christ. This is how I remove your heart of stone and give you My heart of flesh -- a heart that is tender to My will and filled with My love." Yes, Lord. Let us be Your branches that bear Your fruit (John 15.1-11). Let our minds by renewed to think more like You think, so that we may love more like You love (Romans 12.1-2). Remove our hearts of stone and give us Your heart of flesh. As You said to Israel long ago, and as You continue to speak to Your people from every tribe and tongue and nation who are called by Your name, "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you, and make you follow My statutes and be careful to observe My ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be My people and I shall be your God" (Ezekiel 36.26-28). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Teaching, Preaching, Healing 8-23-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the healer of our hearts, the restorer of our souls. As best as I can, and all by Your grace, I commit my heart and soul to You this new day. ... You spoke the words of our Father's heart when You preached of the kingdom of God at the sermon on the mount. You began to preach and teach when you "saw the crowds" (Matthew 5.1). But we often forget the context of why those crowds were there to hear about the message of the kingdom. You not only taught of the kingdom, You demonstrated the coming of the kingdom in the power of God. "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to Him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and He cured them. And great crowds followed Him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan" (Matthew 4.23-25). You never intended Your teaching to be separate from Your power. Forgive us Lord, in the body of Christ today, for trying to teach of Your kingdom in our wisdom and trying to preach of Your kingdom without Your power. Let Your Word be proclaiming and let Your power be revealed. You said, "the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do" (John 14.12). Forgive us for our sin of disobedience. Forgive us for the false humility that has led us to disobey Your command to do Your works in Your power. In large measure, we have failed to teach what You taught and we have failed to do the works that You did. We have settled for an "outward form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3.5). Convict us of our sin as the body of Christ, that we may repent and return to our calling to be Your true ambassadors of Your true nature in a world that is literally dying to see the presence and power of God demonstrated in their lives. As You forgive us, release us in the anointing of Your power to teach and preach and heal in the power Your name, as You have commanded us to do. These are the works that You did, this is the work You've called us to do (John 14.12; Mark 16.15-18; Isaiah 61). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for our Healing Prayer Seminar last weekend. The Lord taught us and moved among us in power. Please pray for the continuing process of healing of spirit, soul, and and body in the lives of each one. I pray the same for each of you. Thank you for your prayers for The Fountain. A very precious, elderly black woman with the love of God shining from her face was led to go to each person and pray words of propecy that spoke directly to each person heart, bring incredible encouragment and peace. Let us welcome God's word and His power in our midst. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Come to The Fountain the 3rd Saturday night of every month. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Beginning of Birth Pangs" 8-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I dedicate and consecrate my life and this day to You, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ... With the unfolding of the events in Israel and in Babylon, with the shaking of the heavens and of the earth in famines and earthquakes, with the increase of violence and darkness and lawlessness throughout every tongue and tribe and nation, we need You now as never before. As we declared in worship Sunday, "People need the Lord." We are experiencing "the beginning of the birth pangs" (Matthew 24.7). But we need not fear, we need not run, we need not hide. We need not sit back passively waiting for everything to fall down around us until we catch the glory train passing through in the middle of the night as our ticket of escape out of here. You are preparing Your people to shine as light in the midst of the darkness, to be the arms of Your security and Your love in the midst of the confusion and fear. Prepare us now that we may stand firmly and securely in these days that the seeds of both evil and righteousness are coming to full maturity in the lands of the earth and in the souls of men. You glory is Your manifest presence. And Your glory is present in the hearts of Your people whom You have prepared for this present darkness of these days. We do not stand alone, we stand in You as You stand in us. These are the days prophesied long ago: "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 arise 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). Let us not withdraw but advance in these days of the beginning of the birth pangs. Let us not sit back passively in resignation, retreat, and self-centeredness, but let us be Your light in the midst of the darkness, let us be rooted and grounded in Your love and firmly established in trusting faith. Let us be Your place of refuge for those who would humble themselves to come to You and call upon Your name. Let the nations see Your light shining in us, let them see the brightness of Your dawn rising in us at the dawn of the day of the Lord. "But how are they to call on One in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in One of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim Him? And how are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" (Romans 10.14-15). You are the Good News. Let it be written on our hearts and lived out in our lives for all to see, as You draw the nations to You through the people You have prepared in these times of great tribulation and of great harvest. "But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24.14). Come, Lord Jesus, come -- into our hearts and into our world. 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Let God Arise!" 8-21-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are glorious, mighty, and powerful. And You live in my heart. Praise You, Lord! ... "Let God rise up, let His enemies be scattered; let those that hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!" (Psalm 68.1-3). Arise in our hearts, O Lord. By the blood of the Lamb, we are cleansed of our sins and in You, we have become "the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5.21). The power of the enemy is broken by the victory of Your cross. Let our enemy be scattered -- scattered from our minds, our bodies, our lives. "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6.12). Let the enemy of our souls be driven away by the fire of Your glory arising within us. " 'Now I will arise,' says the Lord, 'now I will lift Myself up; now I will be exalted' " (Isaiah 33.10). If God be for us, who can stand against us? As You arise within us, we arise in the joy of Your victory. We celebrate the routing of our enemy by the glory and might and power of our God. This is the joy of the Lord that is our strength (Nehemiah 8.10). 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Growing Up 8-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cause Your thoughts to be my thoughts, Your words to be my words. Little by little, and day by day, conform me into Your image and transform me into Your nature. ... My youngest son, Elijah, loves to dig my old cowboy boots and straw hat out of the closet. (No matter where they live and no matter what they do, every Texan still has a pair of boots and a cowboy hat somewhere in their closet). The boots come up to his waist and the hat swallows his head. He loves to go through the house roping the furniture and tying up the "bad cowboys." He wants to grow up quick so he can be a "real cowboy." He loves being three, but it seems he would love even better to be thirty. As we come to know You, Your Spirit comes into our hearts to begin to grow us up into Your nature. As we spend time with You and Your word, our thoughts become more like Your thoughts and our words more like Your words. We are growing up in spiritual maturity. At first, Your "boots and hat" are way too big and almost swallow us up. But You are gracious and You are patient, loving and correcting us, teaching and maturing us, little by little and day by day, as we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3.18). Individually and as the body of Christ, "we must grow up in every way into Him, who is the head, into Christ," so that "all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the full measure of the stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4.11-16). We want to grow up to be like You, Lord. Help us be patient and gracious with who we are now, but never settling for less that who You want us to become. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain this Saturday night at 7pm for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the Chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Thank you for your prayers for our Healing Prayer Seminar in Versailles, KY this weekend. People have joined us from many different churches and traditions in the area to learn how to pray for others at the altar of the local church. Please cover us in prayer for our healing service tonight at the Versailles Methodist Church, 7-9pm. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Storms of Tribulation 8-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Transform me by the renewing of my mind as I submit my thoughts to You. Conform me by the shaping of my desires as I submit my will to You. Let me be silent now as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ... It's stormy outside. The wind and rain are blowing hard against the house. Many would say it's stormy inside -- inside our homes and inside our hearts. But storms bring rain when the land is dry and storms break away the dead branches that no longer bear life. Storms have a way a getting our attention and demanding our focus. They have a way of changing our agendas and redirecting our plans. They have a way of humbling our hearts and turning our thoughts to You. If they lead us to hold on more tightly to You, we can even thank You for the storms. "In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5.7-9). These are the days of our flesh -- the days of suffering through our storms, even though we too are sons and daughters of God. Let them humble us to seek You and to obey You. As the storm clouds gather in these days, let them gather us to You. You are the source of our eternal salvation; You are our security and strength in the midst of every storm. Use the storms and suffering that comes with them to make us more like You, to draw us closer to You. "We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14.22, KJV). Let us not fear the tribulation or the storms or the suffering, let us fear the One who is Lord of the storm, in humble obedience and trusting faith. Only after the storm has worked its purpose in our souls, You will arise to rebuke it and declare, "Peace! Be still!" (Mark 4.39). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (8/20) at 7pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington (2800 Tates Creek Rd) for our monthly, city-wide gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship. Our team will be leading, while I am leading a Healing Prayer Seminar to pray for others at Versailles United Methodist Church this Friday night 7-9, Saturday 10-3, and with a healing service Saturday night 7-9. This is sponsored by St. Andrews Anglican Church (www.StAndrewsKy.org) and held at Versailles United Methodist Church -- all are welcome. Please write us for details. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

A Thief in the Night 8-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the light of the glory of Your presence fill my soul. May You increase as I decrease. May You speak as I listen. May You lead as I follow. ... "For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape. But you, beloved, are not in darkness for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of the light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness" (1 Thessalonians 5.2-5). "But you, beloved..." -- Lord, let us not forget the contrast of these words. We are in the world, but we are not of this world. We are not to be conformed to this world, but we are to be Your people in the midst of this world to transform this world in the power of Your Spirit to the glory of our Father. Forgive when we forget the contrast; forgive us when we allow compromise and complacency to erase the distinctions between those who follow the world and those who follow the Word. You are the Word of God and You are the Light of life. "The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1.1-5). On the day of the Lord, the world will be surprised as You come suddenly and unexpectedly like a thief in the night. But we are not the world, and we are not to be surprised, according to Your Word. We are not in the dark, we are in the light; and You are our Light. "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, '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). Let us not be confused into thinking we are called to surprised in the darkness on the day of the Lord, but let us embrace our call to be found shining as lights in the midst of the darkness, filled with the light of Your Spirit, as beacons of hope pointing others to You. As You said to Your first disciples long ago, You continue to say to Your disciples today, "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become children of Light" (John 12.36). Yes, Lord. We embrace our calling as children of Light. Come let Your Light shine through us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (8/20) at 7pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington (2800 Tates Creek Rd) for our monthly, city-wide gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship. Our team will be leading, while I am leading a Healing Prayer Seminar to pray at the altar in the local church at Versailles United Methodist Friday night, Saturday, and with a healing service Saturday night. This is sponsored by St. Andrews Anglican Church (www.StAndrewsKy.org) and held at Versailles United Methodist Church -- all are welcome. Please write us for details. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Living in Him 8-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Cleanse my thoughts in the blood of Jesus; purify my heart in the fire of Your Holy Spirit; draw me near into the arms of my Father. ... "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 2.6-7). Each one of us who are called by Your name have made a decision along the way to put our hope and our trust in You. We have bowed our knees, believed in our hearts, and confessed with our mouths, "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2.11). We have welcomed Your Holy Spirit in us, the "Spirit of Jesus Christ," now living in our hearts and conforming us to Your nature, so that "living is Christ" (Philippians 1.19-21). Teach us how to live our lives in You; teach us how to be rooted and built up in You; teach us how to be established in the faith; teach us how to abound in thanksgiving. It cannot be by our will power or human strength; we can't make that happen. But as we humble ourselves to depend upon You and commit ourselves in trusting faith to You, Your Spirit is grounding us and strengthening us so that we may stand firm and bear fruit of Your nature in our lives. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts" (Zechariah 4.6). In these moments of prayer at the foundation of our day, these are moments of trust and dependence, moments of being established in the faith, moments of preparation and advance, moments of growing in maturity and strength by welcoming the presence and power of Your Spirit to live our lives to the glory of our Father. Father, be glorified in our lives -- by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (8/20) at 7pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington (2800 Tates Creek Rd) for our monthly, city-wide gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship. Our team will be leading, while I am leading a Healing Prayer Seminar to pray at the altar in the local church at Versailles United Methodist Friday night, Saturday, and with a healing service Saturday night. This is sponsored by St. Andrews Anglican Church (www.StAndrewsKy.org) and held at Versailles United Methodist Church. Please write us for details. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Terror is not Victory 8-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of all I am. As best as I can, and all by Your grace, I commit this day and my life into Your hands. ... "Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me; all day long foes oppress me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many fight against me. O Most High, when I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56.1-4). In these troubling days, terrorists claim victory and murderers of women and children are exalted as heroes of their faith in the name of their god. Evil is called good; demonic strategies of terror are condoned and justified as necessary for peace. Yet evil will not be appeased and the perception of victory will only fan the flames of unholy war. When the stated goal of terror is to drive a people into the sea by any means necessary, nothing less will satisfy the lust for blood. Yet all was foretold long ago and all must come to pass until the day of Your glory -- the great and terrible day of the Lord. A great day for those who yearn for Your coming to redeem and restore our broken hearts and our broken world, and terrible for those who persist in choosing to resist Your Word and Your will. Yet, You are using even the suffering and persecution and evil of these days to open the blinded eyes to Your truth and open the hardened hearts to Your love. "See, I am sending My messenger to prepare the way before Me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight -- indeed, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like refiner's fire and fuller's soap; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the descendents of Levi and refine them like gold and silver until they present offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years" (Malachi 3.1-4). Holy Spirit, prepare our hearts as You prepare the way of the Lord. Remove confusion and bring understanding. Lord Jesus, our Messiah and Christ, let us be found faithful in prayer and in truth, standing in agreement with You and Your word rather than the world when You come in glory. Heavenly Father, give us Your wisdom and Your grace to understand Your will and Your ways. We pray for the day You will come and establish Your Kingdom forever in final victory throughout all the earth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain this Saturday night (8/20) at 7pm in the chapel at Centenary in Lexington (2800 Tates Creek Rd) for our monthly, city-wide gathering of prayer, praise, and healing worship. Our team will be leading, while I am leading a Healing Prayer Seminar to pray at the altar in the local church at Versailles United Methodist Friday night, Saturday, and with a healing service Saturday night. This is sponsored by St. Andrews Anglican Church (www.StAndrewsKy.org) Please write us for details. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Father's Love 8-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As Your Holy Spirit lifts the eyes of my heart to You, I see my Father. As Your Holy Spirit opens the ears of my spirit to hear Your voice, I hear the words of my Father. You are One -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and You desire to be one with us in the communion of prayer. ... "As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15.9). Help our minds to embrace this truth; help our hearts to receive this love. The same way the Father loves You is the same way that You love us. Teach us how to abide in this love -- to live in it and let it live in us, to let it become our life. Remove from us all sense of unworthiness and all confusion about this truth. Your Word reveals Your truth, and Your truth is You love us just as our Father loves You. We have not lived a sinless life as You have, yet You love us as our Father loves You. We have not fulfilled every purpose in perfect obedience to every call of our Father as You have, yet You love us as our Father loves You. Your love is not conditional upon our success, our obedience, or our goodness -- You just love us. And the measure of Your love is not dependent upon the measure of our righteousness, You love us all just as our Father loves You. And we can't begin to grasp how much our Father loves You -- nor can we begin to grasp how much You love us. But let this truth begin to seep down deep into our souls, to bring the sense of peace and security and intimacy in You that You intend by the truth of these words. As we do, we will become increasingly free to abide in Your love and to abide in 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Eyes on Israel 8-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your Word seep deep down inside of me, let the glory of the presence of Your Spirit rise up in me, as I watch and wait for You. ... It is amazing that the eyes of the world are continually turned to the tiny nation of Israel. It is no accident that all the people of all the nations are finding themselves increasingly unable to be neutral in their opinions about the fate of this nation. Let us be led by You in the forming of our opinions, let us be led by Your Spirit as we turn to You in prayer. "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 for 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). All has been foretold long ago, yet now we see it unfold before our eyes. In Your Word, the focus of the world turns to the nation of Israel and the city of Babylon at the end of this age. How exciting and how frightening it is to be alive in these days. Give us humility to seek You and seek our Your will revealed in Your Word as we make our choices and form our opinions. Let us not be led by politics but by Your presence, not by the wisdom of this world, but by the wisdom that comes from above. As the nations are gathered and sorted on one side of obedience or the other, let us be found in obedience to You. As the remnant of the faithful are found in You, no matter the cost, let us be found in that remnant. In humility we ask for wisdom, understanding, and direction, as we renounce the confusion that has come upon the mind of the world in these matters, in the name of Jesus. "The Lord roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. So you shall know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it" (Joel 3.16-17). Be our refuge, O Lord. Be the refuge and the stronghold of Your people. Let us not find our strength the approval of the nations but in the favor of our God. Let us stand with one another as we stand in You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Healing Prayer Seminar On Friday evening, August 19 from 7-9 p.m., and Saturday, August 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Andrew’s Anglican Church will host a two day seminar on healing prayer by Tommy Hays of Messiah Ministies, that will be held at the Versailles United Methodist Church. The event costs $10 and includes a boxed lunch. Invite your friends to attend this wonderful opportunity to learn more about healing prayer. Sign up at the information table or contact Mary Ann Duddy by email at Maduddy2@aol.com, or 859-873-9290 for more information. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com andwww.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Words from the Heart 8-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak Your name out loud as the first word from my mouth this day -- "Jesus." Just speaking Your name begins to affect the spiritual atmosphere around me and it begins to affect the spiritual atmosphere of my soul. "Jesus...Jesus...Jesus." ... "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12.34). What we speak is evidence of what is in our hearts. Our words bear witness for us or against us, because our words bear witness of what is hidden in our hearts. As You said, "The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12.35-37). Purify our hearts and sanctify our tongues. Empower us to release life with our words and not death, to encourage and build up and not destroy and tear down. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (Proverbs 18.21). There is a mixture of the treasure buried in our hearts, both good and evil, releasing a mixture of good and evil in the power of our words. Give us courage to see the evil that remains in our hearts and give us the humility to confess it before You, that You may forgive us and cleanse us, that You may change our hearts to be more like Your heart. Then the words we speak will be Your words of life. Then we will proclaim the name of Jesus because the nature of Jesus will be in our hearts. 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com and www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Here I am 8-11-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, to seek You, to listen, and to pray. Help me get quiet and get still. Give me patience to watch and wait in the silence of surrender, as Your Holy Spirit centers my heart and my thoughts on You. ... Here I am -- to watch and to wait Here I am -- to listen and pray Lead me Lord, by Your Spirit each day Lead me Lord, in the path of Your ways Yes, Lord. Thank You for this new song You've written on my heart this morning. How are we to lead others unless first we are led? How can we give away what we have not received? Fill us afresh with Your Spirit each day, so that You can pour us out to bring refreshing to the dry places. Form Your desires in our hearts each day, so that our desires reveal the desires of Your heart. Form Your thoughts in our minds each day, to that the choices we make are made more with the mind of Christ. This is a process and a lifestyle of a lifelong journey. Here's where the journey begins each day -- here in the place watching and waiting, listening and praying, entrusting our hearts and our minds to You again each day in the first moments of the morning. "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when 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, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile" (Jeremiah 29.11-14). Yes, Lord. You honor our choices in the freedom of the will You have given us. We can choose how to spend our time, how to begin each day. We can choose each day whom we will serve. When we choose our own path instead of Yours, by Your principles and by our choices, we are driven away from intimacy with You and we are exiled into a place that is far from Your presence. Gather our hearts and gather our thoughts back to You. You will not force us, You will not override the freedom of the will You have given us; but You call us to come and to seek, to listen and pray. As we seek You, we will find You. As You restore us and renew us, You will release us again into the plans of Your purpose. 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 MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com and www.morningbymorning.injesus.com