Increase in Intensity 4-26-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. I speak out Your name in worship and prayer as my first words this new day. ... "But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20). Father, it seems I hear You say, "These are days of increase: Increase in intensity of all things -- increase in wickedness and increase in holiness; increase in deception and increase in truth; increase in terror and increase in peace. As a mustard seed increases into a tree, so the kingdoms of this world and its ruler increase into maturity, but so does My kingdom, the kingdom of My Christ. When all things increase into maturity, evil and good full grown, then the reaping of My harvest shall come. Prepare for the reaping of My harvest." Yes, Lord. Teach me to live my life with Your harvest in mind (Isaiah 18:5; Matthew 13:30). "The days are evil," but You are good (Ephesians 5:15). The "ruler of this world" may rage in fury for his final stand, but he "has been condemned" and he is defeated by the victory of the cross (John 16:11). Let me not be discouraged that sin increases, because grace abounds all the more. Let me not be discouraged by the increase in intensity of evil, because the increase in intensity of Your goodness and grace abounds all the more. So by Your grace, I press through the darkness of the night, seeking the light of Your glory to come. It may be darkest before the dawn, but the dawn of the day of the Lord is coming (Malachi 4:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). By Your grace, with all the people of Your kingdom on earth, I am being prepared for the reaping of Your harvest in that day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I am excited to be leading the state-wide prayer gathering this year on the steps of the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3rd. Please come join us if you can and pray with us if you can't between 11:00 and 1:00. Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"You Complete Me" 4-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my peace, and I trust in Your power. ... "Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do His will, working among us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:20-21). The all-time classic, corny line from a romance movie that makes every guy grimace and cringe is "You complete me." But it's so classic because it's so true. We are created to be completed. You said from the beginning, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). So You use the loneliness and emptiness to draw us to one another and to draw us to You. But even though You love us through one another, it is still, ultimately, only You who can make us "complete in everything good." And I am created and completed for a purpose -- so that I may do Your will, living a life that is pleasing in Your sight. You are the God of peace who knows and tends to my needs as a great shepherd, even laying down Your life for Your sheep (John 10:11). You comfort me and complete me so that my life may be fulfilled in my relationship with You and with those You bring into relationship with me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Free from Anxiety 4-24-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. It's a little too early this morning, Lord Jesus. But I can't seem to sleep, so I'll try coming to pray. ... "I want you to be free from anxieties" (1 Corinthians 7:32). Lord, You created me to be a very positive person -- tending to see the glass half full instead of half empty. And You've even given me a great desire to passionately pray that the waters would rise up and overflow! But Lord, sometimes it's hard to turn off my passions and go to sleep, to entrust to You all the people and prayers on my heart. Sometimes what I like to think of as excitement and passion is what other people call anxiety and stress. You have taught me to teach others how to bear the burdens of others to You, not absorbing them into themselves. Help me live out what I teach in this season of both great excitement and great anxiety. I don't want to give up a single flicker of the flame of the passion and fire that burns my spirit to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done in the earth and in the lives of those You've laid on my heart. But I need Your grace to release it into Your hands so I can rest in Your arms. Even as I write these words and pray them from my heart, I sense You beginning to draw out the anxiety and pour in Your peace. ... "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Thank You, Lord. By the means of Your grace through prayer, You are now guarding my heart and my mind. So I don't have to. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Pleasing to God 4-23-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I commit this day into Your hands. Be Lord of my thoughts and desires throughout the moments of my day. ... "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with victory" (Psalm 149:4). A humble heart, willingly choosing to be desperately dependent upon You, brings a smile to Your face and joy to Your heart. Help me humble myself in trusting surrender into Your hands today, as You put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Help me trust that You will be going before me, guiding my steps and preparing the way for my life to be a pleasing aroma to You today. Help me be and do "that which is pleasing in (Your) sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:21). You resist the proud, but give grace to the humble (James 4:6). And in Your grace alone, will I find the victory of Your peace and Your power through every challenge I face. As I do, I join those who "lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him" to "bear fruit in every good work" (Colossians 1:10). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, we are getting our final count to the caterer today for our Celebration Dinner this Friday Night, April 27th. Please call Marilyn right away if you are coming and haven't RSVP'd yet. 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com God bless you and please cover this special evening in the life of our ministry in prayer. Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Family Days 4-22-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters, as I focus my thoughts on You and put my hand in Yours. ... "The children of Your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in Your presence" (Psalm 102:28). Thank You for the family days like yesterday to just rest in Your presence and spend time in the presence of one another. These are days to turn off the cell phone and the laptop, play some ball in the yard, go for a drive in the country, wander along the creek, grill some hot dogs at a friend's house, and even eat popcorn on the couch 'til we fall asleep. Lord, help me schedule in a few more days like this -- days to live settled and secure in the peace of Your presence through one another. In a busy, broken world with too much pressure and too many demands, these kinds of family days seem hard to come by. So help me plan them and guard them and savor them as a gift from You -- a gift to me and a gift to them. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Provision and Peace in the Land 4-20-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I seek Your face and I need Your grace. ... "If you follow My statutes and keep My commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the land shall yield their fruit.... And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down and no one shall make you afraid...." (Leviticus 26:3-6). There are blessings of provision and peace that come to our lives and our land with obedience to Your will. But obedience is impossible apart from You and Your grace. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "There is no one who is righteous, not even one" (v. 3:10). So I can only "become obedient from the heart" by turning my heart over to You (v. 6:17). Every day, I need Your grace. Every day, I need to call on Your name in humble repentance and trusting faith for my life and for my land to be cleansed by Your blood and find the obedience of righteousness in You alone. This is "the obedience of faith" that comes only "through Jesus Christ" (Romans 16:25-27). Only here is the place of peace where there is freedom from fear -- the place at the foot of the cross, under the blood of the Lamb, and in the arms of God. Here is the place I find the "grace and peace" You have promised "in abundance" to all "who have been chosen by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood" (1 Peter 1:2). Thank You, Lord, for drawing me here to this place of grace where I can know Your provision and peace in my land and my life, even in the midst of unrighteousness and unrest. Here I am not untouched by it, but I am unafraid of it. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! Tonight, Friday 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 Friends, if you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Life Has Won! 4-19-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts and open my heart in the simplicity of single-minded devotion to You in these first moments of my morning. ... "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV). In the same week that death and violence came raging in like a flood on the college campus of Virginia Tech, the Spirit of the Lord has lifted up the standard of the sanctity of life at our nation's Supreme Court a few miles away in Washington. Our Court upheld the law banishing a violent form of abortion. Now there is a crack in the dam of the stronghold of death holding back the free flow of the River of Life from our land. As the abortion doctor who challenged this law limiting the right to abortion prophetically admitted, "I am afraid the Supreme Court has just opened the door to an all-out assault" on the legality of abortion in America. Amen. So be it. The 1973 declaration of death in Roe v. Wade, giving permission in the spiritual realms to the principality of death over our nation, is being revoked and renounced. Sanctity of life is being honored again in our land. Light always triumphs over darkness and good always overcomes evil -- through persistence and prayer that releases the grace and power of God. "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Thank You, Lord. You are healing our land. Life is overcoming death and Light is displacing the darkness. Give us courage to "pursue righteousness" and keep fighting "the good fight of the faith" as we persevere with tenacity and endurance against every form of sin and death to "take hold of eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:11-12). The enemy may come in like a flood, and for a season it may seem like we are drowning personally and as a nation, but our God will always raise a standard -- the battle banner of war against evil to enforce the victory of the cross in our lives. "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). By Your grace, we will not fear, but persevere. Your Word will not return void, but will fulfill every promise and every purpose (Isaiah 55:11). In Your timing and in Your way, all by Your power and grace, we will see our nation and all the earth filled with "the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). Lord Jesus, You are Life (John 14:6). And through the victory of Your cross and the glory of Your resurrection, Life has won and death is eternally defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14). Enforce Your victory in our hearts and throughout the earth, to the glory of our Father in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, f you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Evil and Goodness Full Grown 4-18-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Abide in me as I abide in You. ... "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.... Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn' " (Matthew 13:24-30). These are dark days where the seeds of evil and goodness are full grown into maturity. This week a college student methodically slaughtered his fellow students and teachers in the most horrendous school shooting of our nation's history. Human beings are responsible for their choices, and at the same time, there are influences of both good and evil upon those choices. The influences of darkness and evil in our broken and fallen world are coming to maturity. And humans will be making choices of increasingly unimaginable evil as the day of harvest grows near. The enemy of our souls has sown his seeds, but the Savior of our souls has sown His. Seeds of compassion and mercy, of goodness and light, are also sown in the fields of the world. So when tragedy strikes through evil in the world, there is goodness in the midst of it. For every shattered soul in Virginia, there will be comforting hands and healing hearts. Darkness may seem to triumph for the moment, but Light will always overcome the darkness and good will always overcome evil. Through the seeds of souls You have planted through the generations for this time of harvest, as the evil of sin abounds, the goodness of grace will abound even more. Though darkness may cover the face of the earth and deep darkness the people, Your light will arise and shine through Your people in the midst of the darkness (Isaiah 60:1-2). In this way, all that is intended for evil at the end of this age, will be turned around and used for good by Your principles of redemption in the great harvest of souls to come in the kingdom of God in our midst (Genesis 50:20). You will cause all things to work together for good for all who love You and are called by Your name (Romans 8:28). Keep reminding us of the goodness and power of Your light, as You keep reminding us to be the vessels of Your light shining in the midst of the darkness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays If you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21: DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead, as we pray for God's provision to fulfill His vision in our hearts! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

God Desires Godly Offspring 4-17-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. Lord God Almighty, You are holy and You are One. I worship You in every dimension of Your Being -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit -- from every dimension of my being -- spirit, soul, and body. ... "Both flesh and spirit are His. And what does the one God desire? Godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15). My Lord God, through faith in You given to me by the mercy of Your love and the grace of Your blood, I am a child of God -- "For we too are His offspring" (Acts 17:28). "For in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith" (Galatians 3:26). And I want to be a godly offspring -- growing in the wisdom of Your ways, maturing in the nature of Your Being, and following in the leading of Your Spirit. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (Romans 8:14). My Father God, as best as I can and all by Your grace, I yield my flesh and spirit to You. Into Your hands -- holy hands scarred by the nails of my sin but reaching to me in love by Your grace -- I commit and commend my spirit and soul and body to You. A little more each day in the journey of faith, make me more like You. "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Thank You, Lord, for Your patience and Your grace to do this in me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, many have sent notes asking about last Sunday. Thank You so much for praying for us when I preached on waiting and watching and praying in these days "Between the Cross and Pentecost." The Lord had gone before me to prepare hungry hearts for His Word who joined me in prayer for a fresh baptism of His Spirit (Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). I pray the same for you and your church in this season of preparation of our hearts for the power of God, the Lord of the Harvest, between the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:5 and 16). If you are able to come to our Celebration Dinner on April 27th, please RSVP to Marilyn by this Saturday 4/21 DirOfMinistries@aol.com 859-317-1591. Many thanks and blessings to all who can't come but who will pray for us instead! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

This "King named Jesus" 4-16-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I seek You, You promise I will find You. ... "After His suffering He presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). From the beginning to the end of Your ministry on earth in the flesh, You were speaking and teaching about the kingdom of God. Your first disciples continually thought You were speaking of an outward kingdom, but so often You were speaking of an inward kingdom (Acts 1:6-8). This kingdom is not so much about place and position, as it is about power -- the power of God living in us by the Spirit of God to be witnesses of the nature of God to all the world. Your first disciples where asking "when," -- "Lord, is this the time?" (v. 1.6). But You were teaching them "how" -- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (v. 1.8). "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21, NKJV). "For the kingdom of God is not food or drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). You are the King of the kingdom of God. As we submit to Your Kingship and yield to Your Lordship, we are filled with the righteousness and peace and joy of Your Spirit within us; and we are empowered to live lives as witness of Your nature and the glory of Your kingdom. Only then, like Your first disciples, will we be accused of "turning the world upside down" as we proclaim with our lives this "King named Jesus" (Acts 17:6-7). King Jesus, come into Your kingdom in my soul. Rule and reign in my heart. Fill me with Your Spirit and empower me as Your witness. I want to be one of those "turning the world upside down" until "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah" (Revelation 11:15). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 4/20 at 7 pm for Messiah Ministries' monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship in the chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Road in Lexington. Come be refreshed and renewed as we drink deeply from the Living Waters. Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries and I will be leading in prayer and Paul Cooper of Liberty Worship Center will be leading in worship. All are welcome! Call us for information at 859-317-1591 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Worth the Wait 4-15-07

Morning by Morning, Sunday Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of the Kingdom of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. As the worship song says, "All hail King Jesus. All hail Emmanuel, King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright Morning Star." ... "But 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). These are the days between the Cross and Pentecost -- the fifty days from the Passover to the Feast of the Harvest (Leviticus 23:15-17). In these days You remind us to wait for the Lord of the Harvest, to devote ourselves together in prayer for the coming of Your Spirit in power (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5). These are days of preparation for the power of Pentecost. We persist in prayer to be emptied of ourselves and our own strength so that we can be filled with You and Your strength. We persist in prayer to be "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). You could have poured out Your Holy Spirit immediately upon Your resurrection, but You chose to call us to wait. There is something in the waiting that cleanses our souls and prepares us for Your power. The things that come easily and quickly are often taken for granted. But as we persist and persevere, as we hunger and thirst, we yearn with eager longing for the gifts and blessings to come. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Righteousness is "the promise of the Father" and You are worth the wait. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching at Crestwood United Methodist Church near Louisville, Kentucky this morning on preparing our hearts in prayer for the power of Pentecost -- "Between the Cross and Pentecost." Let's join together in prayer for our hearts and our churches to be baptized in the Holy Spirit of the Living God. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Hope in the Heart of God 4-14-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I deliberately, consciously, willingly choose to begin this day and each day with You -- entrusting my mind to Your thoughts, entrusting my heart to Your desires. Here I am to worship and pray; here I am to seek Your face. ... Here I am to worship; here I am to pray. Here I am to come and seek Your face. Lord I love You. Lord I need You. Lord I give my life to You. Here You are to listen; Here You are to wait. Here You are to hold me in Your arms each day. Lord You love me; Lord You help me. Lord You give Your life for me. ... "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves His love for us for in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:5-8). Thank You Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You created me; You saved me; You love me. Each day You continue to give Yourself for me and give Yourself to me though I don't deserve it and I could never earn it. You give me hope when I'm hopeless; You give me courage when I'm afraid; You give me faith when I doubt. You are a good God, a great and mighty God, and in an amazingly personal way, You are my God. So here I am to worship; here I am to pray; here I am to willingly entrust my life to You another day. You are my hope, because I have come to know Your heart. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please take a moment to pray for a friend of mine who desperately needs the encouragement and hope of the love of God. He is broken in the consequences of his sin, but crying out to God for mercy and reaching out to others for help through prayer. There is no sin our Father God will not forgive if we will not resist the conviction of His Holy Spirit and the cleansing of the blood of His Son. Please join me in agreeing with the Living Word of God, who speaks hope into the spirit of my friend -- and all of our friends who are suffering in this way, needing in this moment to know the hope and love of God. I pray the same for each of you this day, my friends. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Morning by Morning, Friday 4-13-07 -- Light Always Displaces the Darkness Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my safety and security, my rock and my refuge. I entrust myself and my family and all of my life to You this day. ... "I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies" (Psalm 18:1-3). All around me, I see the kingdom of God advancing in power. And I see the enemy of our souls fighting back and lashing out in nervous fits of rage. "Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows his time is short!" (Revelation 12:12). Though these are days that "darkness shall cover the face of the earth" when spiritual forces of destruction and death are unleashed in final fury upon the earth, at the same time, we who find our shelter in the stronghold of the Lord can answer Your call in the power of Your strength to "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1-2). Though there is darkness, darkness cannot overcome the light. Light always displaces the darkness. Our part is to turn on the light by turning to the One who is light, then letting Your light shine through us. There we find safety and security in Your light; and just as importantly, those who are lost and bound in fear of the darkness will see Your light shining in the midst of the darkness and be drawn in hope out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of Your light. "May you be made 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 has 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 our sins through His blood" (Colossians 1:11-14). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please make plans to come join us if you can at Messiah Ministries for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington, Kentucky. RSVP to Marilyn: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-422-1794. Please join us in praying for the blessing of funds to fulfill our calling and vision; and please spread the word to anyone who might have a heart for our vision. I'll be glad to talk with them. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com See what's free at AOL.com.

Hands of Innocence 4-12-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am Yours and You are mine. I choose to abide in You and welcome You to abide in me. ... "I wash my hands in innocence, and go around Your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all Your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which You dwell, and the place where Your glory abides" (Psalm 26:6-8). Only through the blood of the Lamb that cleanses my sins through confession, repentance, and faith are my hands innocent. Only through the blood of the Lamb can I draw near to Your altar and "approach the throne of grace with boldness" (Hebrews 4:16). And at the same time, it is so important to see that I am innocent -- not because of my actions, but because of Yours; not because of my goodness but because of Yours. To deny my innocence through the cleansing of Your blood would be to reject all that You have sacrificed to give. So instead of rejecting Your gift and scorning Your mercy in some form of false humility, looking at myself instead of looking to You, I thank You and praise You with songs of thanksgiving and prayers of praise, declaring to You and to all heaven and earth Your wondrous deeds. Now my heart is Your house and my body is Your temple -- "the place where Your glory abides." I have washed my hands in Your innocence. In the truth of Your Word, I know "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In the truth of Your Word, I know my "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19). Though I don't deserve it, though I've done nothing to earn it, I can love this house of my heart where You dwell because You do. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). As Your truth settles in to my soul, how could I not sing aloud a song of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wondrous deeds. So I will this morning -- as I write my journal of prayer and praise to You, as I send it to the nations and post it in the heavens. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please make plans to come join us if you can at Messiah Ministries for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington, Kentucky. RSVP to Marilyn: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-422-1794. Please join us in praying for the blessing of funds to fulfill our calling and vision; and please spread the word to anyone who might have a heart for our vision. I'll be glad to talk with them. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Between the Cross and Pentecost 4-11-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I turn my thoughts and my heart to You. ... "And see, I am sending upon you what My Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). According to Luke, these were the last words You spoke after Your resurrection and before Your ascension. And Luke begins the Book of Acts, will this same call to Your first disciples to stay and wait for the power to come to live out their calling and destiny in You: "While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now' "Acts 1:4-5). In a way, the Gospel of Luke tells Your story of moving in the power of God on earth to fulfill Your destiny as the Son of Man and Son of God. And in a way, the Book of Acts tells Your story of moving in the power of God through the body of Christ on earth to fulfill our destiny as sons and daughters of man and of God. The transition point, common to both of these books of the Bible in Luke 24 and Acts 1, is the call to wait for the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit. Only then, can we truly be empowered to be Your "witnesses" (Luke 24:48 and Acts 1:8). And the call is wait was not a call to wait passively or complacently, but a call to watch and wait and pray actively together. From that moment, they "were constantly devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14). This became the cry of their hearts because this was the cry of Your heart. Between the Cross and Pentecost, they heard Your call and obeyed Your command to watch and wait and pray for the promise of the Father -- to be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (v. 1:5). Then they would be "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Then Your words would be fulfilled, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Lord, we are Your disciples today as much as they were Your disciples then. And we need the power of Your Holy Spirit to be Your witnesses and to fulfill our destiny in our generation today as much as they did then. So just like them, You are calling us to be constantly devoting ourselves to prayer. You are calling us to watch and wait and pray for the promise of the Father, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, to be empowered to be Your witnesses as sons and daughters of God. We are to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, continuing the ministry of Christ in the earth until You return in final glory. So we must continually be actively watching and waiting and praying to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). When the day of Pentecost came, there they were in obedience to Your call -- "they were all together in one place" -- the place of watching and waiting and praying, the place of seeking the promise of the Father. The Wind came and the Fire fell and they were "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1-4). Then they were ready to be Your witnesses -- witnesses of Your power and Your nature because they were filled with Your Spirit. This is Your call to me and to Your body in this hour, in this season between the Cross and Pentecost. Bring us together in the place of obedience. Forgive us for failing to watch and wait and pray to be baptized in Your Holy Spirit and filled with Your power from on high. Let the Wind come; let the Fire fall -- this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I pray you will be continually baptized, immersed, saturated, and filled the Holy Spirit of the Living God through Jesus Christ our Lord. I'm excited to be invited to preach by my good friend Pastor Gary Ball at our Bishop's church, Crestwood United Methodist Church outside of Louisville, Kentucky, this coming Sunday, April 15. I believe the Lord has given me this message to preach: "Between the Cross and Pentecost" -- Jesus called us to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live out the power of the resurrection (Luke 24:44-49). Please pray this for us and I'll be praying this for you. God bless! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

"Eagerly Wait" 4-10-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I humble my heart to hear Your voice and sense Your lead. ... "For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness" (Galatians 5:5). Lord, teach me how to "eagerly wait." When I am eager, it's hard to wait. And when I am waiting, it's hard to be eager. Remind me moment by moment what it is I am eagerly waiting for -- "the hope of righteousness." You are the only hope of righteousness I have. Apart from You, I have none. But in You, I have "become the righteousness of God" through the mystery of faith and the mercy of grace (2 Corinthians 5:21). It seems I hear You say: "I will teach you if you are willing to learn. Look again at My Word -- 'through the Spirit, by faith.' This is the key. It is only 'through the Spirit' that you can eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. And it is only 'by faith' that you can receive it. My Spirit within you gives you the desire and the power to seek Me and My righteousness. My Spirit within you gives you the faith to believe I am changing your nature into My nature, as You entrust yourself to Me. To be eager is to desire this with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. To wait is to allow Me to work this out in You by My power and not Your performance." Yes, Lord. I welcome Your Holy Spirit within me to empower me to seek You and Your righteousness, to embrace You and Your will, to submit to You and Your perfect timing and way to make me more like You. Thank You for Your patience and Your grace as You empower me to change. "For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). So by Your Spirit, through faith -- in the power and desire that You give me moment by moment and day by day -- I eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. I eagerly wait for the hope of being conformed into Your image and transformed into Your nature, all in Your perfect timing and Your perfect way -- not depending on my performance, but trusting in Your power (Romans 8:29). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join us in prayer this morning for our CBMC Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast in Lexington, Kentucky (Radison Hotel downtown at 7:30 am). This will be Christ-centered and not state-sponsored, even though our Governor and leaders in the marketplace and public square will join us in prayer for the people of our state in our freedom to pray to God and praise His name privately and publicly. www.cbmcbluegrass.com -- Connecting Business & Marketplace to Christ in the Bluegrass. Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Purpose of Resurrection Power 4-9-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Resurrection and the Life. Arise in my life today, I pray. ... "But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you" (Romans 8:10-11). The same Holy Spirit of the Living God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in me. The same Power that all hell couldn't hold is at work within me, empowering me to overcome sin and death and every stronghold of hell. "God raised the Lord and will also raise us by His power" (1 Corinthians 6:14). Lord, raise me up by Your power above a mediocre life -- just trying to get by, just trying to survive, just trying to hold on for a rapture out of this world and into the next. Deliver me from that mindset of complacency and passivity. Release me from irrelevancy and empower me for Your purposes. Raise me up to fulfill my destiny in Christ. Let death of vision and deadening of spirit have no place and no hold in my heart or my mind. Open my eyes to see You as You are and to see myself as I am -- cleansed by Your blood, filled with Your Spirit, and empowered by Your grace to fulfill the purpose and calling of my destiny. "So that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power" (Ephesians 1:18-19). This is the purpose of the resurrection power now at work within me. This is the reason You raised me from the dead in Christ and empowered me by Your Spirit to live a resurrected life, "alive in Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:22). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I pray the blessing of God's resurrection power in every area of your lives! I'm excited to be invited to preach by my good friend Pastor Gary Ball at our Bishop's church, Crestwood United Methodist Church outside of Louisville, Kentucky, this coming Sunday, April 15. I believe the Lord has given me this message to preach: "Between the Cross and Pentecost" -- Jesus called us to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live out the power of the resurrection (Luke 24:44-49). Please pray this for us and I'll be praying this for you. God bless! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Risen Lord, Power of God 4-8-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! ... "He is not here; for He has been raised, as He said" (Matthew 28:6). You are not an ancient memory, You are the Risen Lord. You are not a theory or theology, You are the Living Word. You are not a form of religion, a philosophy of life, or a doctrinal truth, You are the Power of God. "For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Rise in Your power in my soul this day, my Risen Lord. Free me from the tomb of sin and death, release me from the grave clothes of guilt and shame, fill me with the Spirit of Life and Light and Truth. You were crucified in the flesh to this world, but raised in the power and the glory of the Spirit of God. Lord of the Resurrection, let it be so for me. "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). "Because we know that the One who raise the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into His presence" (2 Corinthians 4:14). Arise, my soul, arise, into newness of life this day! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Morning by Morning, Saturday 4-7-07 -- Descended into Hell Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm amazed at Your grace and Your desire for me to come and seek Your face, in the communion of prayer with God. ... "Therefore it is said, 'When He ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; He gave gifts to His people.' (When it says, 'He ascended,' what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who ascended is the same One who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things)" (Ephesians 4:8-10). They call today "Holy Saturday" -- the day between the Good Friday of Your death on the cross and the Resurrection Sunday of Your victory over the grave. Some think of it as a day of rest, but it was not. You took upon Yourself all my sins and those of all the world throughout all generations. "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is amazing grace beyond my comprehension. That is a price You paid and a sacrifice You made that I will not fully understand until I see You one day face to face. And even then, it will take all of eternity to let the enormity of Your unfailing love for me to settle in to my spirit in the fullness of this truth. So this Saturday is holy to me only because You willing chose to bear all my un-holiness upon You. So before You ascended to heaven, You descended into hell. But hell couldn't hold You. "God raised Him up, having freed Him from death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says concerning Him, '... You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One experience corruption' " (Acts 2:24-27). While You were there, You were not silent. You were not help captive, but came to set the captives free. "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring You to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, in which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey...." (1 Peter 3:18-20). "For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the Spirit as God does" (1 Peter 4:5-6). We really have no idea, this side of heaven, all that these Scriptures mean, just how far Your grace has gone and just how far it will go. We have no idea of the enormity of the sacrifice You have made or the authority and power the blood of Your cross can have. But I thank You and praise You with as much understanding as I have, knowing already I can never repay all You have done for me. And I pray that gift of the proclamation of Your gospel on this holy day for those who need it as much as me, throughout all generations, from the heights of the heavens to the depths of hell -- as far as Your grace will go. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Be Silent and Behold the Cross 4-6-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. This is Good Friday -- good for heaven, bad for hell; good for me, bad for the enemy of my soul. ... "Looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). On the day of the cross, I look to You, Lord Jesus. As humbly as I can and with as much gratitude as I can have, I thank You for enduring it's shame, with all the humiliation and sacrifice it represents, far beyond my human capacity to comprehend. I believe by faith You endured it for me -- "for the sake of the joy" that one day I would bow humbly before You and thank You for Your eternal sacrifice of unfailing love for me. Words are not enough. So in this moment, I will not try to speak any more words. I will be silent and behold the cross. ... In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Spirit of Religion Rooted in the Fear of Man 4-5-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me walk in the way of the cross today -- dead to my flesh and alive to Your Spirit. ... "Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people" (Luke 22:1-2). The spirit of religion is rooted in the fear of man. The religious leaders feared the people more than they feared God. They "were afraid of the people" because they were afraid the people would follow You rather than them, seek a living relationship with God rather than obeying the rules of religion and the traditions of men. "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). You continually confronted their hypocrisy, as the leaders held on to their power and control over the people, while claiming their will was God's will and their ways were God's ways. You challenged their system of security grounded in the power of control and shame, saying, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition" (Mark 7:6-8). No wonder they looked for a way to put You to death -- to silence Your sedition of their kingdom and control. Lord, deliver me from the spirit of religion. Expose my misunderstanding of Your Word and Your ways, and my manipulation of Your law and Your people for my own purposes out of my own insecurities, pride, and fear. Uproot from me any reliance on rules for a righteousness I can never earn or deserve, but only receive through a living relationship with You. Let me look for a way to put to death my unholy flesh, that I can be alive to Your Holy Spirit. Ironically, through Your death at the hand of religion rooted in fear, I can be free for a living and personal relationship with You in the Spirit. "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). By Your grace, I choose to live for You and not for myself, out of a healthy and holy fear of God, rather than the fear of man. "And He died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:15). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please make plans to come join us if you can for our 2007 Celebration Dinner -- "How Great is Our God!" -- on Friday Night, April 27th in Lexington. Please RSVP to Marilyn: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-422-1794 Please join us in praying for the blessing of funds to fulfill our calling and vision. To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Jesus Said I Am 4-4-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I quiet my soul and seek Your face. ... " 'Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad.' Then Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.' So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple" (John 8:56-59). Lord Jesus, You are I Am. Though Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons and all the other cults of the day say You never claimed to be God, the Jews of Jerusalem had no doubt of Your claim, as they picked up stones to stone You to death for the blasphemy of saying You were. You left them no room to doubt Your claim, as You began to reveal Your identity in one encounter after another. "I Am the Bread of Life" (John 6:48). "I Am the Light of the World" (v. 8:12). "I Am the Gate" (v. 10:9). "I Am the Good Shepherd" (v. 10:11). "I Am in the Father" (v. 10:38). "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" (v. 11:25). "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (v. 14:6). "I Am the True Vine" (v. 15:1). "I Am a King" (v. 18:37). Your words of identity were deliberately intended to remind them and remind us of the words of identity of "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" Who revealed Himself to Moses in the desert -- "I Am Who I Am" -- "This is My name forever, and this is My title for all generations" (Exodus 3:14-15). As C. S. Lewis said, You could not be a good man, a wise teacher, or a noble prophet, while at the same time speaking these words about Yourself if they were not true -- You must be "a lunatic, liar, or Lord." You didn't leave us any other choice, as You eternally declared, "The Father and I are One" (John 10:30). So again this day, I lay down the stones of doubt and unbelief, and I lift up my hands in worship and praise. "Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Yours is the name above every name (Philippians 2:9-11) "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

2007 Celebration Dinner -- How Great is Our God!

Dear Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, Please come join us for our 2007 Celebration Dinner April 27, 2007 How Great is Our God! We will praise God, share our vision, and raise funds for our ministry

Please join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. We welcome your contributions to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries as the Lord leads: Messiah Ministries "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord" 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org 859-317-1591 God bless you! Tommy Hays Spiritual Director and Founder

Positioned for the Power of the Cross 4-3-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, exalted in my praises and worshipped in my prayer. ... "When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing beside her, He said to His mother, 'Woman, here is your son.' Then He said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home" (John 19:26-27). At the foot of the cross, You set all things in order. As we humble ourselves at Your feet and look up to seek Your face, we can hear Your voice and sense Your will. As You said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32). You come close to us as we humble ourselves from our pride, insecurity, fear, and shame to come close to You. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8-10). As I draw near and lift You up in my heart, there You give me the grace to hear and the grace to obey. Humility positions me for the power of the cross. There, You empower me to live my life in the paths You set before me, in the relationships of trust and love You have formed for me. "Teach me the way that I should go, for to You I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). "Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (Psalm 86:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Our Paschal Lamb 4-2-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy are You, Lord. You are worthy of my praise and the focus of my attention, as I sacrifice to You the first moments of my morning. ... "Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). In the days leading up to Your sacrifice of love for us on the cross, the Jewish people came to Jerusalem from every town and tribe to "purify themselves" and celebrate the Passover (John 11:55). This is "the Festival of Unleavened Bread" You commanded to be observed by Your people "throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance" to always remember Your mercy of deliverance out of the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 12:14-28). As they prepared their hearts for Passover, they sought a lamb "without blemish" (v. 12:5). And they prepared bread that was unleavened (v. 12:8). They did not yet realize that this meal of remembrance throughout their generations was intended to prepare their hearts for You. You were the Lamb without blemish, the Bread of Life unleavened by sin. You were the sacrifice of love to deliver us from the bondage of sin and death, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). In these days of the paschal season, where we prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate Your death and resurrection, clean out the old yeast of sin in my soul. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). You are "the Way Everlasting;" You are "the Unleavened Bread of Sincerity and Truth;" You are the Life of God who willing laid down Your life for me in the mercy of Your love (John 14:6). Let this week be more than holy days of remembrance and a festival of celebration. Let them be days where my eyes and heart are opened to the Lamb of God who cleanses my soul, delivers me from bondage, and makes me holy and whole through the sacrifice of the blood of the One without blemish and unleavened by sin. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. (RSVP Required for the Special Seder Meal for Passover Tonight). Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

The Holy Week to Come 4-1-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open my heart, waiting for the leading of Your Spirit as You draw me in the arms of my Father. ... "The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord -- the King of Israel!" (Luke 12:12-13). Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, as we make our way with You in memory of the sacrifice of Your cross and the victory of Your empty tomb. That day the crowds cried "Hosanna!" meaning, "Save us now!" Though they did not fully understand it, that day they were turning their hearts to the One who came from heaven to earth as the Passover Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Ironically, in the mystery of faith and the provision of grace, it would be when the voices of praise became voices of persecution, when the voices that cried "Hosanna!" became the voices the cried "Crucify Him!" that the sacrifice of the Lamb for their sins and mine would be complete. As You entered Jerusalem that day, You will enter Jerusalem again in a day to come (Zechariah 14:1-5). "And the Lord will become King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be One and His name One" (v. 14:9). "Then all who survive of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the festival of tabernacles" (v. 14:16). That day will be a great day -- the day of the Lord, when You forgive the people and the land whose hearts turned away from the King who had come as Messiah and Lord. "And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for any only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn" (v. 12:10). When You came the first time, You said You would come again the second time only upon one condition: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see Me until the times comes when you say, 'Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord' " (Luke 13:34-35). I pray for that day. I pray the eyes of Your people in Jerusalem and throughout the earth will look upon the One whom we have pierced by our sin to cry out to You, our coming King, our Messiah and Lord, with humble hearts and trusting faith, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!" And then You will come and set Your feet again in the holy city of Jerusalem. What a holy day and a holy week that will be! Throughout the heavens and the earth, we will lift our palms in praise, as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that "Jesus Christ is Lord!" (Philippians 2:9-11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Full of Gladness 3-31-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I arise now into a new day. I welcome Your Spirit within me and Your light along my way. ... "You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence" (Acts 2:28). Today is my youngest son's first birthday -- Josiah Benjamin Hays. He is named Josiah -- meaning "the fire of the Lord" -- after the young king who burned with a fiery passion for You in the land of Israel, leading his nation in repentance and revival for Your glory. He is named Benjamin -- meaning "son of my right hand" -- speaking of one who carries spiritual authority as a yielded vessel and a mighty weapon in the hand of the Lord. As a proud father of each of my five children, I know each is created by You with calling and purpose and destiny. Each is created uniquely with their own gifts and graces of God to fulfill the plans that You have for them, all in Your power and all by Your grace (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 1:11). Josiah is full of gladness. He never stops smiling! (Well, almost never -- except when he's really mad and crying like bloody murder!) Perhaps that's another sign of the intensity of his passion. But wherever he goes, he seems to release joy into the atmosphere. Total strangers can't resist his big smile. Thank You, Lord, for the fullness of gladness by Your presence in my son. I pray You would impart joy to people wherever You send him. May the joy of the Lord be his strength and a weapon of warfare in Your mighty right hand (Nehemiah 8:10). Anoint him to set the captives free of darkness, depression, hopelessness, and gloom as he radiates Your light and Your love and Your joy. In Your power and by Your grace, may he release joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). And may my plans and prayers for my son be an extension of Your plans You have moved on my heart to pray. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

The King is Coming in Glory 3-30-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me be quiet now, while You speak. Help me listen for Your lead, as I center my first thoughts and first desires on You alone this day. ... "For the kingdom of God is not food or drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). King Jesus, come in Your glory. One day You will come again to the earth, and each day You desire to come again in my soul. You are "the King of kings and the Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). You are my King and my Lord. You are the King of the kingdom of God in every dimension of Your Being -- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And though Your throne is in heaven, You also desire to rule and reign on the throne of my heart. Come establish Your kingdom of righteousness in me, as You bring me more completely into right relationship with You each day. Come flood my soul with Your peace that surpasses understanding and the joy of the Lord that is my strength in the depths of my soul, as You help me yield to Your ways and Your will in every dimension of my being. Fill my human spirit more fully with Your Holy Spirit each day, as You continue to increase and I continue to decrease, in trusting surrender to Your leadership of my life. This new day, I lift up my head and open up my heart, "that the King of glory may come in" (Psalm 24:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Hot Tempered Strife 3-29-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. To You, all hearts are known and no thoughts are hidden. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I open my heart and thoughts to You now. ... "Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention" (Proverbs 15:18). While my oldest son and I got away together last week, we had a lot of fun, but we also had some heart-to-heart talks and prayers. We remembered together some of our fond memories, but also some of our painful memories. I wanted our hearts to be clear, not allowing our honest love and respect for one another to excuse or mask over any honest hurt or disappointment toward each other. He reminded me, in a respectful way, that even though he knows me to be a loving and compassionate father, there have been times when I have had a hot temper in expressing my frustration or anger. I thank You for a son who is willing to speak the truth in love, who is not willing to just let the good times and the good things cover over the bad times and painful things. There can only be true forgiveness if we honestly acknowledge the sin and pain that others have caused, and then choose, by Your grace, to release the person and the pain to You. Thank You for the gift of freedom and peace that comes from forgiving words and clear hearts. I know that's not always possible, and it's not always possible to do it in person, but it was last week for me. I pray You blessed my son in many ways through me last week. And I thank You for blessing me through my son in this way and many more. Now, this week and every week after this, keep crucifying the part of my flesh that allows frustration or anger to give in to a hot temper that only stirs up strife. Keep delivering me from this evil that would tempt me to make choices that bring hurt and pain to the ones I love, or even the ones I am not able to love yet. Give me the grace of humility to admit my faults and the courage to choose to let You cleanse my soul in every area of my character. Help me grow in spiritual maturity and godly fatherhood, to "be angry but do not sin" in my anger by releasing it in the wrong way (Ephesians 4:26). Some things are supposed to make me angry and some things will frustrate me, but I do not have to choose to sin in my anger with a hot temper. Instead, help me release my anger to You and then speak words of truth and life in the way that calms contention rather than stirs up strife. "One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32). I pray for this in my heart and my family and all my relationships, as far as Your grace will go. Like it or not, our children are always looking and always listening. We are always a model, whether good or bad -- not just in general, but also in the specifics. So help me, Lord, be a good model for my children. Like it or not, our children see something of the nature of their heavenly Father in the nature of their earthly fathers. Help me represent You better; help me represent You well. As the message of a song goes, "I want to be like You, because he wants to be like me." Last week, my son and I prayed together the simple prayer You taught me to teach my children to pray each day when they were young -- "Dear Lord Jesus, make me more like You each day." Lord, let it be so. And forgive me for when it wasn't. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

"Restore Such a One" 3-28-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I commit my first thoughts to You. Nothing is more important. Nothing is of higher priority. Period. ... "My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1-2). My heart has been heavy all night for a close brother and dear friend "detected in a transgression." Lord, give me Your father heart of compassion, the wisdom of the mind of Christ, and the leading of Your Holy Spirit, as I seek to obey Your call to "bear one another's burdens" to You. Help me be quick to listen, slow to speak, ready to pray. Help me always remember, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). "For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 3:22-23). We all are in need of Savior. We are all in need of the mercy of God. But "I know my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). In Your mercy, You allow us to be detected. Out of Your love for our healing and freedom, and ultimately, for our peace and joy, You allow the hidden things to be brought out of darkness and into Your light. You humble us and break us so You can restore us and redeem us. Your heart is always restoration through repentance, mercy through confession, the transformation of our soul through the confrontation of our sin. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). And none are to go through the journey of conviction, repentance, and redemption alone. We are called -- commanded -- to "bear one another's burdens." This is "the law of Christ." We are to speak the truth in love -- not just the truth without love, and not just love without truth. There is no true love without truth. And there is no truth without true love. And we are called -- commanded -- to "bear with one another" and "forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves in love" (Colossians 3:13-14). It's not easy for us, and it was not easy for You. Restoration is a process -- by the transgressor and by those wounded by the transgression. But You are patient with us. Help us be patient with ourselves and with one another through the journey of healing and redemption, willing to let You use these opportunities of deep humility and humiliation to put the ax to the roots that bear bad fruit in our lives (Matthew 3:10). Let these be times of purging and pruning, so we can grow healthy and strong into the full measure of maturity in You (Psalm 51:7; Ephesians 4:15). "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit" (John 15:2). So by Your grace, I choose to come alongside my friend in the painful journey before him. And I thank You for the times You have brought friends alongside me in the painful journeys I have traveled. You are no respecter of persons. As You did for King David in the face of unimaginable but not unforgivable sin, so You will do for all who turn to You in humble repentance and trusting faith with a broken spirit and contrite heart. Through that process, You create in us a clean heart, You restore the joy of our salvation, and You renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10-12). I need that. My friend needs that. We all need that. And it's ours to receive through the sacrifice of Your amazing love and amazing grace expressed forever for us all through the power of Your cross. I receive it. And with Your help and by Your grace, I will come alongside my friend to help him receive it. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com . Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794

Specific Obedience to God's Specific Will 3-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for Your coming and wait for Your presence here in the place I have prepared for You in my heart. ... "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now; for it is proper in this way to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he consented" (Matthew 3:13-15). Even the most humble actions intended to honor You can still be outside the will of God. Protocol, ritual, and tradition can never replace specific obedience to Your specific will. We must continually look to You and listen for the leading of Your voice. Only in this way will we fulfill all righteousness. Lord, help me never presume to know Your will. Help me never allow religious actions or the traditions of men to replace our living relationship. Help me learn to humble myself in the silence of surrender, allowing my spirit to sense the leading of Your Spirit, and allowing Your voice to form the answer to my questions in my mind and heart. Help me not stand on protocol, but bow in surrender -- surrender to the wisdom and righteousness of Your will for my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com

Set to Seek 3-25-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before I begin my day, help me first settle down in the silence of surrender before You, to listen for Your leading and look for Your face. ... "Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Go and build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 22:19). To set my mind and heart to seek You is a deliberate choice. To prepare a place for the presence of Your Living Word and Your Holy Spirit in the sanctuary of my soul is a deliberate choice. You do not force my worship, nor demand my prayer, for then it would be false worship and empty prayer. But You draw me here to You each day, welcoming me to welcome You into my mind and heart, into my thoughts and desires. I can answer Your call or not, set my mind and heart to seek You or not. But morning by morning, You have shown me the joy of seeking Your face and peace of welcoming Your grace, as You fill my heart and soul with Your presence and allow me the blessing of beginning the journey of another day with You. So I answer Your call and accept Your invitation to join You in the journey again today. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com