Look to the One Who is Always There 2-21-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes unto the hills and open up my heart unto Yours. You are my strength and vision, my help and provision. ... "I lift up eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. ... The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore" (Psalm 121:1-8). When I lived in Corpus Christi, we would go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico sometimes. I was from the flat, dry fields of west Texas so the experience of being tossed to and fro in the gulf waves was a new experience. The first time, it was hard to think about fishing when I was just thinking about finishing the day with my lunch intact. My friend Bruce taught me to look to the horizon when my stomach felt queasy because the line where the sky met the sea was steady and firm. Then everything would settle down and I could get back to fishing. (At least the fish were really big and fun to catch, so that somehow it made it all worth it!). Sometimes I still get queasy, tossed to and fro on the seas of life that come slamming against my boat. It's easy to get jostled around and to lose my focus. Sometimes life doesn't seem all that fun and all that worth it. But like a good friend, Your Holy Spirit is there to comfort me and remind me to lift up my eyes to You, the One whose always there -- steady and secure, always ready to help me get my balance and steady my soul. You always bring me back to the place "of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God" so that I'm no longer "tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind" that would steal my focus, my peace, and my joy (from Ephesians 4:13-14). And at the end of the day, I can say again, "It was worth it, because You were with me." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays We have two new resources on cd from my week of ministry to the students at Christ for the Nations in Dallas awhile back www.cfni.org : Spiritual Warfare -- Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith. This is a four-part series on understanding the victory of cross and our authority to enforce the victory of the cross in our lives and those we love. The Father's Blessing through Our Brokenness. This is an evening message and ministry of the Father's Blessing we long to have from the Father heart of God, but often seek in the wrong ways that lead to brokenness instead of blessing. But as we will give Him our brokenness in humility and faith, He releases to us the Father's Blessing of His peace and power and presence. Send your order to us by email at MessiahMin@aol.com Our other resources on the web site at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org All of these will be available at the bookstore for the Prayer Summit I'm helping lead on the weekend of Feb 29th at Centenary UMC in Lexington: www.CentenaryLex.com Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Christ Who Lives in Me" 2-20-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I add my voice to those around Your throne in worship and praise. ... On this day of 2-20, I think of Galatians 2:20: "And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Alive in me. Arise in me. My life is not my own. Speak through me. Teach through me. My life is not my own. Your life in me. Your faith in me. Come live Your life through me. Yes, Lord. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. In response to Your love and in the power of Your grace, "I have been crucified with Christ" in my flesh so that I may live with Christ by Your Spirit (v. 2:19). "We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. ... So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:6-11). I confess that there are many times when I sin. But I also acknowledge that when I sin it is by my choice alone, because in You, sin no longer has "dominion" over me except to the very degree I choose to submit to its power instead of Your power (Romans 6:12-14). I pray for a stronger sense of the fear of the Lord and a deeper sense of the conviction of Your Holy Spirit. I can trust You in this because I trust Your love for me -- that You are for me and not against me, that You love me and empower me as You come live through me in the power of Your love and the presence of Your Spirit. As I fully embrace the victory of Your cross and the glory of Your resurrection, I am fully "alive to God in Christ Jesus." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays We have two new resources on cd from my week of ministry to the students at Christ for the Nations in Dallas awhile back: Spiritual Warfare -- Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith. This is a four-part series on understanding the victory of cross and our authority to enforce the victory of the cross in our lives and those we love. The Father's Blessing through Our Brokenness. This is an evening message and ministry of the Father's Blessing we long to have from the Father heart of God, but often seek in the wrong ways that lead to brokenness instead of blessing. But as we will give Him our brokenness in humility and faith, He releases to us the Father's Blessing of His peace and power and presence. Send your order to us by email at MessiahMin@aol.com Our other resources on the web site at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org All of these will be available at the bookstore for the Prayer Summit I'm helping lead on the weekend of Feb 29th at Centenary UMC in Lexington: www.CentenaryLex.com Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Fully Alive in the Resurrection Power of Christ 2-19-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I am alive in Christ; and You are alive in me. ... "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being, for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). In the power of Your grace, I choose to be fully alive to every experience and expression of life today. And no matter what I encounter, I will encounter it with resurrection power -- the power of the resurrected Christ fully alive in me. "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 8:11). This is "the immeasurable greatness of (Your) power for us who believe, according to the working of (Your) great power" (Ephesians 1:19). With You for me and Your resurrection power at work within me, who can stand against me (Romans 8:31)? No matter what comes -- hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword -- "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (v. 8:35-37). This is the perspective and attitude of life You died for me to live. And so I will this day and every day, in honor of an in reliance upon Your sacrifice and love for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be helping lead a Prayer Summit at Centenary United Methodist in Lexington, where our ministry office is based, the weekend of Feb. 29th: www.CentenaryLex.com Please keep us in prayer and come join us if you can. All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Here I Am, Your Beloved One 2-18-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am before You, Jesus. Here I am before Your throne. ... Here I am, before You Jesus; Here I am, before Your throne. Here I am, with open arms; Here I am, my heart's Your home. Here I am, with a yearning spirit; Here I am, with a hungry heart. Here I am, to seek Your Presence; Here I am, to know how near You are. Here I am, come and hold me; Here I am, come fill me now. Here I am, in complete surrender; Here I am, in Your Spirit's power. Here I am, a child of God; Here I am, a favored son. Here I am, in worship and wonder; Here I am, Your beloved one. Yes, Lord. Sometimes when I settle in to seek Your face and listen for Your voice, Your Spirit stirs in my spirit to catch me up into the heavenly realm of Your Presence as if I were the only one alive. I feel like that now. ... And I think I'll just stay here a little while as I feel like You've entrusted all Your creation to Your angels for a little while just so you can hold me in Your arms and fill me with Your love. ... "Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord rests in safety -- the High God surrounds him all day long -- the beloved rests between His shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12). Right now, I'm receiving the blessing of Benjamin, the beloved of the Lord who rests in Your arms. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays The other night I heard a sample of songs with music my good friends Andrea Browning and Don Hershman put together using some songs that the Lord sends me sometimes in these morning prayers. They're adding others Andrea has heard in the Spirit to a cd to be released soon and it would be great for us all to cover them and their project in prayer! My good friend Heather Butler in Wales often does this as well. The Lord is anointing psalmists in these days to release the sounds of heaven and release the sounds of our hearts to Him throughout the earth. Praise God, as His glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea! Thank you all for covering us in prayer for our final teaching session of the School of Spiritual Ministry in Madisonville, KY this weekend. I've had a report of an incredible angelic visitation there being activated to move in ministry with the Lord's people there. How exciting! May the Lord open His heavens and send forth His angels to minister with you in your church and ministry in greater love and power in these exciting days! Friends, I'll be helping lead a Prayer Summit at my home church that I attend in Lexington the weekend of Feb. 29th at Centenary: www.CentenaryLex.com Please keep us in prayer and all are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Angels "Sent to Serve" 2-17-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Through the blood of the Lamb I enter into the holy of holies of prayer. ... "Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). Thank You for sending Your holy angels who minister alongside us in the unseen dimension of the heavenly realm. They come as worshippers, warriors, and witnesses of Your glory to obey the command of Your word. They carry Your messages and carry out Your purposes, sent to serve us as we serve You. They are "mighty ones who do (Your) bidding, obedient to (Your) spoken word" (Psalm 103:20). May they ascend and descend between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm as You open "the gate of heaven" over our lives and move among us in Your power for Your glory (Genesis 28:12-22). We will declare Your praise with all Your angels, "Surely the Lord is in this place ... How awesome is this place!" (v. 28:16-17). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Refresh My Heart" 2-16-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be my vision and strength, my companion and guide in the journey. ... "Refresh my heart in Christ" (Philemon 20). I am refreshed and renewed as I am surrendered to You. You draw out stress, remove anxiety, cast out fear, as I entrust my day and my self to You. Help me rest in You and be refreshed in You. Guide my thoughts and lead my steps. Embrace me and empower me with Your Spirit, as we begin this day together. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"Filled with All the Fullness of God" 2-15-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me up and pour me out. ... "I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:18-19). "Filled with all the fullness of God" -- Lord, let that sink in. This is Your Word and Your will for me. You will always be the Creator and I will always be the created, yet the Creator of the universe desires to fill me with all Your fullness. Teach me what that means and give me the power to comprehend it. Show me why that matters and give me the courage to embrace it. The depths of this kind of love if far beyond the wisdom of this world and understanding of human knowledge. But You have not called me to know the wisdom of this world, but "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" -- knowing "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). So Lord, let the truth of Your Word and Your will sink in. Let Your Spirit fill me up with the fullness of Your Presence (Ephesians 5:18). Then pour me out. Pour out Your love and Your power and Your wisdom through me and "all the saints" -- all as You will and all for Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be finishing the last session of our School of Spiritual Ministry in western Kentucky this weekend (3rd of 3 weekends). Please pray for everything the Lord has been teaching us and releasing in us will be used for His glory and His kingdom. I pray the same for all He is doing in you. Let us know if there would be a desire for us to hold our School in Your area. God bless you! Come to the Fountain! this Friday Night 2/15 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Contact Marilyn for details at dirofministries@aol.com All are welcome! Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Love Fully Alive 2-14-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I exalt You -- above every name, every thought, above everything. ... "Better is open rebuke than hidden love" (Proverbs 27:5). Love is relational, to be given and received, to be expressed. So in a sense, love unexpressed is love denied. Hidden love is not healthy love -- not healthy for the one withholding it and not healthy for the one waiting to receive it. Love fully alive is love fully expressed. It is a active, not passive. It is engaging, not detached. "It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7). So this day, when all the world celebrates love, let my love be expressed and not hidden, given away and not withheld. As I do, I will remember I am free to love because You first loved me (1 John 4:19). "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Happy Valentine's Day! I love you guys! Thank you for joining me in the journey. Come to the Fountain! this Friday Night 2/15 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Contact Marilyn for details at dirofministries@aol.com All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Know the One Who Knows it All 2-13-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father and Son, come abide in me by Your Spirit. ... "He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a Voice saying, 'Get up, Peter, kill, and eat.' But Peter said, by no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.' The Voice said to him again a second time, 'What God has called clean, you must not call profane' " (Acts 10:11-15). Every word of Scripture is true. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Yet You never intended the Bible to be a rule book apart from a living relationship with You. We must have Your Word "abiding" in us, so that Your Scriptures help lead us into a living relationship, not dead rituals and rules (John 5:37-38). As You warned those who thought they knew and obeyed Your Scriptures but did not have Your Spirit, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on My behalf. Yet you refuse to come to Me to have life" (John 5:39-40). We must come to You to have life. We must be willing to know Your Scriptures because they testify of You and are fulfilled in You, but we cannot know You, Your truth, and Your leading in the details of our lives apart from a living and personal relationship with You. "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). Peter was humble enough to hear Your Voice and allow You to adjust his thinking. He was filled with Your Word and with Your Spirit -- knowing the Word of God, but also willing to be taught and led by the Spirit of God. When he realized his understanding of Your Scripture was too limited to his interpretation of the letter of Your Law, he listened and he learned. Then he trusted and obeyed. He humbly asked, "Who was I that I could hinder God?" (Acts 11:17) And the Gospel was shared in power with the Gentiles as well as the Jews that day and from that day forth (Acts 10:44-48). Lord, help me know Your Word, but never settle for only knowing Your Word. I need to know You. You are the Living Word of the Living God now coming to live in me by Your Spirit. Daily give me humility to know that no matter how much I think I know, I "know only in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9). So my part is to know the One who knows it all. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Fountain! this Friday Night 2/15 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Contact Marilyn for details at dirofministries@aol.com All are welcome! Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Seek His Presence Continually" 2-12-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I press in to Your presence. ... "Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His presence continually" (1 Chronicles 16:11). David brought in the ark of the covenant and placed it inside the tent prepared to receive it. The ark speaks of Your presence -- the manifest presence of Your glory among us as we seek You and welcome You in our lives. "Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice" (v. 16:10). By Your grace and out of Your love, You humble Yourself to dwell in each of us by Your Spirit in "the earthly tent" of our human flesh and bone (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). I prepare my tent for Your ark this day. Cleanse me of my sins and awaken my desires to seek You and Your strength and Your presence now and continually throughout my day. Let my heart rejoice that my God in His glory dwells in me (1 Corinthians 3:16). Let that truth settle into my mind and clarify my mission throughout the encounters and experiences of my day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Fountain! this Friday Night 2/15 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Contact Marilyn for details at dirofministries@aol.com All are welcome! Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Leaning In and Listening 2-11-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Holy and anointed One, I seek Your face and praise Your name. ... "Pursue peace and strive for spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). To prophecy is to hear and to speak the word of the Lord. Lord, teach me how to quiet my soul to listen for the leading of Your voice in the diversity of ways You desire to speak Your words to me. Teach me how to narrow the focus of my thoughts to You alone in simple surrender and active engagement of my spirit with Yours. The children of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). Your "Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (v. 8:27). And Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:27). I am Your child, a son of God, and a sheep of Your fold. Help me hear Your Spirit interceding for Your saints. Help me speak what You would say to me and through me. And help me humble myself to listen to what You would say to and through those You bring to intercede for me and speak into my life. It seems I hear You say, "My son, listen for Me, leaning in to hear My still, small voice. As You lean in to listen, you lean in to Me, so that listening is a means of My intimacy with you." Yes, Lord. By the cleansing of Your blood and the power of Your grace, I'm leaning in and I'm listening. "Now go about Your day in the faith of knowing You are leaning into Me and listening for Me and believing I am speaking through You, interceding for My saints according to My will." Yes, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Fountain! this Friday Night 2/15 at 7 pm -- the 3rd Friday Night of every month -- for our ministry's monthly gathering of people from many different churches and streams of the body of Christ across our city for prayer, praise, and healing worship. This month Sandra White of Bethlehem Farm Ministries will lead in prayer while Brooke and Shannon Barrett will lead in worship. Hosted in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Contact Marilyn for details at dirofministries@aol.com All are welcome! Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted in the upstairs community room of First Southern National Bank at 3060 Harrodsburg Rd in Lexington. Contact Doris at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

At the Center 2-10-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I center my thoughts and my heart on You. ... "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; and He will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). Be enthroned at the center of all I am and all I do. Guide me with Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Be my strength and comfort, my peace and joy. Renew me and refresh me as I drink in the living waters of Your Presence now and throughout my day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/

Power Present to Heal 2-9-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You increase and I decrease -- increase in my reliance upon Your strength and Your wisdom as I decrease in my reliance upon my own. ... "One day, while He was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with Him to heal (Luke 5:17). There are times when Your power is especially "present to heal" (Luke 5:17, NKJV). You are always the Lord our God and You are always the Lord who heals us (Exodus 15:26). But there are times and places when You choose in Your wisdom and Your strength to move in Your power to heal. That's a time to humble ourselves to hear Your teaching and embrace Your power. That's a time to bring our friends to You in faith to be forgiven and freed, healed and whole (Luke 5:18-26). Lord, increase those times in our day. Let us be "filled with awe" in our day, in our church, in our city, just as Your first disciples were "filled with awe" in theirs' (v. 5:26). They "glorified God" and so will we (v. 5:26). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'd appreciate your prayers as I teach our School of Spiritual Ministry in Madisonville, Kentucky this weekend (2nd of 3 weekends in a row) and as I continue this School on Wednesday nights at my home church in Lexington where we have our ministry base anchored. May the Lord our Healer be present with power to heal in every dimension of our lives -- here with me and there with you. God bless you! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

A City of "Abundance of Prosperity and Security" 2-8-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I'm willing to admit my need of You and find my security in the desperate dependence of trusting You for everything. Apart from You, I can do nothing; but -- praise God! -- I never have to be apart from You. ... "I am going to bring (the houses of this city) recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them of all the guilt of their sin against Me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against Me. And this city shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it" (Jeremiah 33:6-9). My friend Tommy Green had me on his radio program yesterday, "A City for God," to talk about our ministry's heart to see our city and region freed from the strongholds of darkness and sin and to be released into the destiny of Your calling and blessing for us and through us. Your heart is to restore, rebuild, and redeem. Your heart is to restore unto us the joy of our salvation as we experience Your "abundance of prosperity and security." But just like in our personal lives, in the life of our city we need the cleansing from sin by the blood of the Lamb that only comes through repentance and faith. We need the generational curses broken from our inheritance and the generational blessings released and increased. We need to break through the strongholds of darkness and the gates of hell, that You would be our Strength and Shield, establishing Your gates of righteousness, blessing, and peace. We need Jesus. So come into our city, Lord Jesus. We give you the key to our city and open the gates to our hearts, "that the King of glory may come in" (Psalm 24:9). Bless us with the fear of the Lord and the conviction of our sin, that we may turn to You in repentance and faith, in desperate dependence upon the power of Your grace. Deliver us from evil and cast down the strongholds of darkness. Let the holy fire of Your Spirit consume us and purify us; let the light of Your glory shine through us. In Your power and by Your grace, we will be the city for God we are destined to be as "a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth." I pray the same for Jerusalem and all the cities of the earth who will turn to You in humility and call on Your name in faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Last night at my home church of Centenary in Lexington, we joined in the one year birthday celebration of the Celebrate Recovery ministry at our church and heard many testimonies of changed lives from those in our city who have come to experience the healing love of God! www.CRLex.com I praise God for the committed team of people from our church who have experienced God's healing and deliverance and now want to see others free and whole. Thank you for joining with me in prayer for this dimension of our ministry and all the others where the Lord strategically positions us at different levels and in different seasons. Friends, as you and your churches make plans to budget your giving to the Lord's Church and the building of His Kingdom, please prayerfully consider joining with us as He would lead: Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Road; Lexington, KY 40502 I would be thrilled to talk with you or your pastor about the vision and calling of our ministry -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" (Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 4:18-19). www.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Steady and Secure in His Steps 2-7-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Blessed be Your name. At Your name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that You are Lord. ... "Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your custom toward those who love Your name. Keep my steps steady according to Your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me" (Psalm 119:132-33). My steps will be steady today as I seek to follow in Yours'. My thoughts and desires will be holy today as I seek to have Yours. I submit to the Lordship of Your dominion in every area of my life, as best as I can and all by the power of Your grace. You draw near to me as I draw near to You (James 4:8). You turn to me as I turn to You; and I turn to You because You first turned to me (1 John 4:19). With You at my side and Your Spirit in my heart, I am "steady" with my focus and my faith "firm, secure in the Lord;" I will "not be afraid" (Psalm 112:7-8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, as you and your churches make plans to budget your giving to the Lord's Church and the building of His Kingdom, please prayerfully consider joining with us as He would lead: Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Road; Lexington, KY 40502 I would be thrilled to talk with you or your pastor about the vision and calling of our ministry -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" (Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 4:18-19). www.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Ashes of Humility 2-6-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I humble myself in Your sight, that You may lift me up. ... "Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). Daniel humbled himself in ashes as He turned to You to seek Your face and hear voice for the burdens of his heart. Many within the body of Christ will celebrate this day as Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of the season of Lent, leading up to the season of the cross. This day is marked by humility more than joy and by repentance more than celebration. Before the joy of the resurrection comes the humility of the Cross. And so it is in the journey of the Christian soul. There are times to be quiet and humble before our God. There are times to set aside the celebration of joy to remember that our joy had a price. We draw near to You only through the blood of Your sacrifice for us. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let you laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8-10). Lord, I am humbled by Your sacrifice of love for me. And in the ashes of the day, I remember the price Your paid to cleanse my hands and purify my heart so that I could know the joy of intimacy with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Call upon the Name of the Redeemer 2-5-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is above every name. And Your name is first name I speak today -- Jesus. ... "Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, 'God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.' To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:25-26). People began to invoke Your name -- to speak out and call upon Your name -- as they began to see Your redeeming nature and power. You took the brokenness and pain of a mother and father's grief over the loss of their son and began to redeem their pain with the life of another son. You didn't deny their pain or replace their pain. You redeemed their pain. For You are a redeeming God (Psalm 31:5). Even the things You do not will and desire, but that we experience in a broken and fallen world, You will redeem -- causing all things to work together for good as we give them to You and call on Your name (Romans 8:28). "For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved' " (Romans 10:13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Peace Will Prevail 2-4-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. The storms of thunder and rain have not ceased through the night. But make them cease in my soul as I settle in to listen for the leading of Your Spirit this day. ... Through the night And through the storm Through the torrent That rages on. I will hold on to the hand Of the One in whom I stand. You are near to my side You are here and You're alive. So I will not be afraid I will never be dismayed. I will rise and take my stand As You stretch out Your mighty hand. Demons flee and storms subside On Your words angels ride. Peace, be still, in my soul. Peace, arise, because I know My God reigns through every storm, My God reigns for ever more. "He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased and there was dead calm" (Mark 4:39). Even as I'm journaling my prayer, the winds have ceased this morning. Mighty are You, O Lord. The wind and sea obey You. I hear nothing now but dead calm. Though the wind and storm may be raging just miles from here, You've commanded them to be still here in the peace of Your Presence with me. Though You hold all heaven and earth in Your hands -- Your nail-scarred hands -- You also know every hair on the head on every child and every desire in every heart. You're amazing and You're love is unfailing. And though the winds and the rains may return on the outside, Your peace will prevail in my soul this day by Your power and grace. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

"Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ" 2-1-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the One who is and who was and who is to come. Come into my heart and every moment of my day. ... "Yet whatever gains I had, I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:7-8). Compared to knowing You, it's as if nothing else matters. And, while of course, all the people and relationships of my life matter beyond measure, knowing You is of surpassing value and of infinite significance. That is not to diminish everything and everyone else. It is to emphasis the paramount importance of my relationship with You (Luke 14:26). Without You, literally nothing else matters. But by Your grace and the power of Your love, I am not without You. And I never will be. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org

Be Not "Found Fighting Against God" 2-1-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I steady my soul and quiet my spirit as I simply come to speak out Your name and seek out Your face. ... "Then the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, your kinsfolk, your own kin, your fellow exiles, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'They have gone far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.' Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far away among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a little while in the countries where they have gone. Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 11:14-17). One day, "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26). One day, they will look to their Messiah, they will "look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.... On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zechariah 12:10 - 13:1). In that day of repentance and faith that will come through the brokenness of pride and the pain of judgment by a loving God who cannot bear to ever let Your people go from Your heart or Your covenant, You have said, "I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them" (Zechariah 10:6). So until that day, let us pray for fulfillment of the salvation of Israel. Though she may experience brokenness and judgment and even a great measure of destruction according to the many prophecies of Your Word, one day she will be restored and redeemed in fulfillment of her destiny. "On that day the Lord their God will save them for they are the flock of His people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on His land" (Zechariah 9:16). Gentile and Jew together will embrace You, Lord Jesus, as Messiah, Lord, and King when "the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 'Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.' And this is My covenant with them, when I take their away their sins" (Romans 11:25-27). "And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again" (Romans 11:23). And let us not enter in to the sin of judgment against Israel. "They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe" (Romans 11:20). For on the day of her great salvation will also be the day of great judgment for all who accused her and condemned her in their arrogance and pride. As You have also warned and proclaimed in Your Word, "And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:9). Though You may even use the arrogant actions of prideful nations as an instrument of Your judgment of the sin of Israel in order to restore her to her place of honor and blessing through fulfilled faith in You, there will be a day of judgment for all the nations who accused her, condemned her, and violated her. "Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among you, when I judge you. You shall know that I, the Lord, have heard all the abusive speech that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour.' And you magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against Me; I heard it. Thus says the Lord God: As the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. As you rejoiced over the house of the inheritance of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 35:11-15). There is a movement within my stream of the body of Christ of the United Methodist Church discussing proposals to judge, condemn, and punish Israel as an occupying force in the land of her Biblical inheritance. And while all Israel is not yet saved, all her actions are not right, and the fulfillment of the promise of Your covenant to take away her heart of stone and fill her with Your Spirit has not yet fully come to pass, You have not rejected her or replaced her; You still love her and honor her and fight for her (Ezekiel 36:22-38). So let us not "be found fighting against God" (Acts 5:39). Let us seek You and the leading of Your Spirit in humility, in faith, and in obedience to Your Word. Let no one speak for me who speaks against You. Lord, convict us of every sin of failing to know Your Word and Your will for Israel. Let us not speak out of our own emotions or wisdom or under the pressure of world opinion and the fear of man. Let us not be found uttering abusive speech and words of condemnation and judgment, seeking to punish those who take a stand for Your people and the inheritance of hope and land You have given them according to Your Word and Your plan and Your covenant. Who are we to think we know better than You? Will not Your Word and Your warning come to pass for all who fail to know It and obey It? "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). Let us repent of our sins and turn our hearts to You. Let us seek the leading of Your Holy Spirit and not give to the leading of merely human emotions. Let us be found fighting for Your people not fighting against God, agreeing with the Redeemer and no longer agreeing with the accuser. As You have commanded us and promised us: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I believe these are very significant issues of faith in God and submission to the authority of His Word. Please pray for me and for my part of the body of Christ to have the right heart and spirit in our discussions and decisions. I pray the same for you and every part of the body of Christ. Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org