Seven Mountains of Culture 6-24-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of lords and King of kings, be Lord and King of my life today. ... "Then the devil led Him up and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to Him, "To You I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be Yours" (Luke 4:5-7). Our Father didn't give the devil his authority and influence over all the kingdoms of the world. Our Father gave that authority to us (Genesis 1:2). And then we gave it to the devil through our choice to rebel against God and submit to him (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-21). To this day, just as he boasted to You in the wilderness of Your temptation, he tempts us to worship him by allowing him to exercise the authority of dominion and influence in the kingdoms of the world You have entrusted to us. If we do, we give him that place of glory that only You deserve. Christian leader Lance Wallnau believes You are revealing to us there are seven mountains of culture that are the key high places of influence and authority in the kingdoms of our world: Religion, Government, Family, Education, Business, Media, and Arts and Entertainment. When we bow to the influence of the devil in these strategic areas of dominion, we abdicate our responsibility and authority to "exercise dominion" over what You have entrusted to our care to be stewarded in submission to Your ways. When we do, "the ruler of this world" has authority and influence in our lives (John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11). That's how "the whole world lies under the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). But as we reclaim our culture through prayer and obedience in submission to You and Your authority and Your ways, we drive the devil out of the places of dominion we have given to him. You are high and lifted up as we repent and return our hearts to You in worship of You alone. We join with the voices of heaven to declare, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Lord, we cry out for the transformation of our communities and culture. Give us the power of Your grace to move forward in the courage of Your wisdom and strength to reclaim the high places in these seven mountains of culture. Let us see the kingdoms of the world restored and redeemed to the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers this week as I join pastors and ministry leaders from many diverse ministries of the body of Christ for our annual retreat of the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries in the next few days. Rick Joyner leads our retreats as we seek to hear what the Lord is saying to His church in these days: http://www.morningstarministries.org This is one of my times each year for some personal renewal and encouragement, and I'm really looking forward to it. God bless! Please pray for the final steps for publication of my new book -- Morning by Morning, A Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays. This will be a 365 Day Prayer Devotional taking from my morning prayers. It should be released July 4th at the Aldersgate Conference where I'll be speaking and teaching in Columbus, Ohio: http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org (Please come join us!). If you're interested, you'll be able to order a copy of Morning by Morning soon! 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

"Groaning in Labor Pains" 6-23-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:22-23). This summer is a season of spiritual intensity and preparation, like "groaning in labor pains" for the releasing of next season of Your eternal plan of redemption of all creation. Last night at the beginning of our annual retreat, Rick Joyner called our Fellowship of Ministries to seek Your leading for how we should fast and pray in preparation for the spiritual breakthroughs and release to come later this summer. Give me courage to endure this greater intensity as I embrace You in deeper intimacy. You were reminding me of the calling of our ministry to help "prepare the way of the Lord." Prepare my heart and soul to be able to fully embrace this coming move of Your Spirit. We are already tasting the first fruits, but this is but a foretaste of the feast to come. Many are saying revival is here, but even this measure of revival is but a foretaste of the feast to come. Lord, make me hungry for more, unwilling to settle for anything less, and prepared to participate in the fullness of this move. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers this week as I join pastors and ministry leaders from many diverse ministries of the body of Christ for our annual retreat of the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries in the next few days. Rick Joyner leads our retreats as we seek to hear what the Lord is saying to His church in these days: http://www.morningstarministries.org This is one of my times each year for some personal renewal and encouragement, and I'm really looking forward to it. God bless! Please pray for the final steps for publication of my new book -- Morning by Morning, A Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays. This will be a 365 Day Prayer Devotional taken from my morning prayers. It should be released July 4th at the Aldersgate Conference where I'll be speaking and teaching in Columbus, Ohio. If you're interested, you'll be able to order a copy soon! 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

Global Warming of the Hearts of Men 6-22-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You because You first loved me. I come watch and wait on You in the communion of prayer, because You've already been here first waiting on me to come. ... "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed" (2 Peter 3:10). People speak of "global warming." And so does Your Word. A day will come like no other day, when all the elements of this earth "will be dissolved with fire." All the wood, hay, and stubble of the nations and generations of the earth will be consumed. All that has been done and said "will be disclosed." So in light of that truth we can hide our heads in denial while we eat, drink, and be merry; we can give in to a paralysis of fear or the complacency of passivity; or we can seek to grow in relationship with the One who is faithful to go through every fire with us (Daniel 3:25). "Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?" (2 Peter 3:11-12). I want to be the sort of person who trusts You to be true to Your nature and Your Word: You will never leave me not forsake me, that nothing will ever separate me from the Love of God, and that no matter what ever happens, You will redeem all things and cause all things to work together for good for me because I love You and am called according to Your purpose (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:38-39; and Romans 8:28). So "in accordance with His promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home" (2 Peter 3:12). While we're waiting, You're not wasting a moment. Already the fire of Your Holy Spirit is ablaze in the earth to purify our hearts so that "righteousness is at home" in us. And that's "what sort of persons" we ought to be. That's "what sort of persons" we are in You -- "so that in Him we become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the global warming of the hearts of men. 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

A Broad Place of God's Love 6-21-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Another day to start my day with You. ... "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place" (Psalm 118:5). The summer storms unleashed sheets of rain all morning long. All the beautiful plans of a June wedding outdoors among the horses and hills of the bluegrass region of Kentucky seemed to be washing away in torrents of water. But out of her distress, the mother of the bride lifted her face and poured out her heart to You. And by late afternoon, the sun was shining and the horses were frolicking in a beautiful backdrop on a beautiful day that couldn't have been planned any better. Even as the guests and I arrived, we had to navigate through construction on the roads and pass through equipment and obstructions at the gate. But then it all opened up to broad fields of rolling grass hills and horse rail fences that are the signature symbols of this beautiful land. Though the preparations of their hearts for this covenant of love were much more important than the preparations of this place, in answer to a mother's prayers You prepared the way for such a memorable day. In the mystery of Your ways, You don't always still the storm and open the skies in such a spectacular way. But yesterday You did. At one wedding You turned the water into wine. And at this one You turned the water of a mother's tears into praises of joy. What a sign and symbol of Your gifts of grace for these two lives You've bonded together and established forever in the broad place of Your love. 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

"The Two Shall Become One" 6-20-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In the first light of dawn of this new day, I turn my first thoughts to You. ... "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:6-9). Today I'll have the honor of leading my friends Val and Carrie in their vows to You and one another, as You seal their hearts and lives together as one in marriage. You've given them Your heart of love for each other and Your eyes to see each other as You see them. Through prayer and faith, trusting Your leading of their hearts, You are releasing them of every bond that would hold them back from being fully bonded to one another. And with the love of parents, family, and friends, we will add our blessing of this sacred and holy covenant to Yours. Their lives will be changed forever today as the two become one. Their spiritual journey to maturity will accelerate as You help them learn to surrender their lives and love one another in deeper ways. In the daily choices they'll learn to make out of their "genuine mutual love," they will learn to "love one another deeply from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22). Their marriage is also meant to be an outward symbol of the inward grace You long for us each to experience with You, "just as Christ love the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:21-33). In the sacred and holy covenant of the surrender of our hearts to Yours, we learn to love You deeply from the heart. And "anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). There is nothing more powerful or beautiful than the bond of Your love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join your prayers with mine in blessing the marriage of my friends, Val Mink and Carrie Curtis. I'll be marrying them this evening at a beautiful Kentucky horse farm outside of Lexington. And I pray God's guidance and blessings in the holy relationships of your lives. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! tonight 6/20 at 7 pm -- 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 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

Nonconformist to This World 6-19-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Keep renewing my mind and conforming my nature. ... "He said to them, 'You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am He.' They said to Him, 'Who are you?' Jesus said to them, 'Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the One who sent Me is true, and I declare to the world that I have heard from Him.'... As He was saying these things, many believed in Him" (John 8:23-30). You are not of this world. And the ways of this world are not Yours. As You walked Your journey in the flesh through this world, You were never intimidated to confront the people and the sin of this world with words of truth out of a heart of love. You were confident in who You were and confident in the One who sent You. You were consistent and persistent in the message of Your words and actions, uncompromising in truth and unwavering in love: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:16-18). Love is not the same as unsanctified mercy. Your love comforts, but Your love also convicts. You love encourages, but Your love also corrects. You meet us where we are, but You never leave us as we are. You accept us, but not our sin and our ways of the world You came to change. You "so loved the world" that You were willing to be risk rejection in order to stand for truth. Out of that same heart of love, You mercies are tender, but Your judgments are strict, because the stakes are high. "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God" (John 3:19-21). In Your love and mercy, convict me of my sin. Deliver me from compromise and complacency. Expose the ways of the world that have confused my thinking and defiled my faith and witness. Keep drawing me out of the darkness and into Your light. Let Your light expose the darkness in me and let the power of Your love drive it from me. Where my mind and my heart have become desensitized by the ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil that surround me and try to saturate me each day, sensitize me again to Your ways and will by Your truth. By Your grace and with Your courage, I choose to follow You and Your example in the power of Your Spirit to be a nonconformist to this world (Matthew 10:38). As You speak the truth in love to my soul and empower me by Your grace to live that truth with my life, I will "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind, so that (I) may discern what is the will of God (not my own will or the will of the world) -- what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come if you can and join in prayer if you can't for our city on Saturday, June 28th. Some are planning a gay pride parade that day but others are planning a day of celebration and worship of our God. Everyone is invited to The Crossing, 2700 Todds Road, Lexington, Kentucky, 9-12 am, Sat, June28th for Harp and Bowl worship (prophetic worship and intercession led by CornerStone International House of Prayer from Wilmore in the style of the Kansas City International House of Prayer). Please contact my friend Gerry Morford for details: gerry.morford@ky.gov or check our citywide prayer mailing through PrayLexington@aol.com Though I'll be away with my family that weekend, I'll be joining in prayer. Please join us as well as you can. I join with you in the agreement of prayer for your city and region. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 6/20 at 7 pm -- 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 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

Order Out of Chaos 6-18-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Before the thoughts of the day begin to flood my mind, I first focus my mind on You alone. ... "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the children of Jacob, 'Seek Me in chaos.' I the Lord speak the truth, I declare what is right" (Isaiah 45:19). Days of judgment and correction in the nations and generations of the earth seem like confusion and chaos. But You are "not the author of confusion, but of peace" (1 Corinthians 14:33, KJV). And even Your judgments are a means of Your mercy to draw us back to You and under the covering of Your hand. In the "day of tumult and trampling and confusion" You have "taken away the covering" to expose us to the consequences of our choices in rebellion of Your will and ways (Isaiah 22:5-8). You uncover the foolish of our prideful arrogance of insisting on our own will and ways, turning to the idols we have created with our own hands rather than trusting upon You alone as the source of our security and strength. But in the shaking of confusion and chaos brought about by the consequences of our choices -- personally, corporately, and generationally -- those idols will come down. Our self-made, self-sufficient walls and defenses will crumble and fall. Our self-determined laws to justify our self-centered nature that we've lifted up to be worshipped rather than submitting to the laws of our Creator will be exposed, judged, and struck down. Only "the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). We have no righteousness or security in ourselves or the idols we create. Our righteousness is in relationship with You alone, Lord Jesus Christ -- a relationship of love, founded upon trusting faith, humble submission, and desperate dependence upon You (2 Corinthians 5:19). In that relationship, You bring order out of the chaos, righteousness out of the wickedness, and peace out of our tribulation. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep the people of our city in prayer. Misguided preparations are being made for a gay pride parade and a psychic fair in Lexington soon. Wherever the Lord is sowing seeds of righteousness, the enemy comes in to sow seeds of unrighteousness to try to destroy or hinder the harvest to come (Matthew 13:36-43). God loves all people and we believe He has given our city a redemptive gift of mercy and a father's heart. But the enemy of our souls will try to misuse and distort our gifts if he can't crush them out of us to try to defeat the purposes of God. But prayer prepares the way of the Lord for healing, deliverance, and the fullness of salvation in Christ to come. God, in His mercy and love, will judge us and correct us in order to lead us into the blessings and peace of His presence. So please keep our city and region in prayer and I join in prayer for yours. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 6/20 at 7 pm -- 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! 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

"He Remains Faithful" 6-17-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me beside Your still waters. ... "The saying is sure: If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful -- for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:11-13). You are a faithful God, worthy of our trust. I have seen Your faithfulness over and over again. You are faithful to be with us through every challenge, to strengthen us through every battle, and encourage us through every day. You never said life would be easy or even fair in this broken, fallen world where human beings and spiritual beings make choices that influence our lives throughout all our generations. In fact You warned us of the opposite: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13). Being with us does not immunize us from suffering and injustice. But being with us gives us courage to endure, faith to hold fast, and hope to know that You don't waste a moment of our suffering to produce in us hearts of gold refined in the fire of this world. "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). By Your grace, we can choose to "entrust (ourselves) to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good" no matter what we face (1 Peter 4:19). As we do, You will give us faith to trust You more and faith to entrust more of us to more of You -- depending on Your wisdom, Your strength, Your ways, and not our own. "He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:8-9). This fellowship of love is also a fellowship of the cross. And I choose to believe by faith that Your Word is true -- the reward of the resurrection glory to come on the day of the Lord will be worth all "the sufferings of this present time" (Romans 8:18). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! this Friday Night 6/20 at 7 pm -- 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! 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 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

The World Watches and Listens 6-16-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart this day. ... "And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him" (Mark 6:19-20). As You send me out into my world today, send me out filled with Your Word and Your Spirit. The world watches and listens. There will be those who do not like me just because of who I am and who You are in me. But there will be others who may like to listen because they hear You speaking through my life into theirs. So in these first moments of my morning, set my heart right with You. First, let Your light shine in me so throughout this day, Your light can shine through me. I want to know I go with Christ in my heart. Then, as You explained to Your first disciples as You sent them out, "Whoever listens to you, listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me, and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me" (Luke 10:16). Like John, somebody may try to take my head, but they can't take my heart (Mark 6:27). "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6). "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to the Fountain! next Friday Night 6/20 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. Held in the chapel of Centenary: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY. Please come early for Intercessory Prayer at 6:15. Contact Marilyn at dirofministries@aol.com or 859-422-1794. 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

Everlasting Father 6-15-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit, perfectly revealing our Father's heart to me. ... "For a Child has been born for us, a Son given to us, authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). You are an Everlasting Father. In some ways, my earthly father was not. He left when I was young. And I missed him a lot. Little boys need their daddies. And then he died too early in life, and I still miss him a lot. Big boys need their daddies too. But all earthly fathers will fail in one way or another. All fall short of Your glory (Romans 3:10). I know I have -- many ways and many times. And we are all in need of Your grace to cover our sins and mistakes, to pour Your Father's blessing from Your Father's heart into the spirits of our children in all the ways we can't. You never fail and never grow weary of loving us and pouring Yourself into us. You are "the everlasting God" (Isaiah 40:28). And I thank You for Your everlasting Father's love for me. 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

Morning by Morning, Saturday 6-14-08 -- Rock Solid Relationship Good morning, Lord Jesus. I quiet my soul and center my thoughts on You alone in these first moments of my morning. ... "Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock" (Matthew 7:24-25). Things are not as they should be in this broken, fallen world where flood waters burst forth and storm winds rage through, where droughts dry up life and fires consume what's left. The sin of man throughout the generations has opened the door to turmoil and destruction of all creation. And now all creation shakes and groans for the coming day of redemption when peace and order is restored to all (Romans 8:19-21). But even in the midst of turmoil and tribulation, we can find security for our souls and peace from our fears in our rock solid relationship with You. There will be floods and storms, droughts and fires. There will be times we are faced with disappointment and discouragement, destruction and death in a broken, fallen world where things happen that break our hearts and try to break our spirits. Rather than getting angry with You for the destruction we see, we must remember the truth of Your Word that until the coming day when You redeem and restore all things, "the whole world lies under the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). So we must seek now to find our security in You so we will be ready then. Then all we face will not overwhelm us nor overcome us, for You will be with us (Isaiah 43:2). And as You promised, "the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22 and 24:13). Even all that we suffer and endure through the brokenness and destruction that may touch our lives and those we love will serve to strengthen us in our desperate dependence upon You alone for our security and strength. "He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:2-3). I choose, by Your grace, to trust You now so that I will be able to continue to trust You then. 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

Before I Was, You Were I Am 6-13-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My Father, My Friend, My Lord and My God, You are I Am. ... "Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am' " (John 8:58). Before my day began, You were here. Before my life began, You were here. Before the beginning of all things, You were here. "All things have been created through Him and for Him. He himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (from Colossians 1:15-17). So I have been created through You and for You. You hold me together. And You hold together all the challenges I'll face and the choices I'll embrace this day and the days to come. In Your hands, You will continue to create me and conform me into Your image (Romans 8:29). Then one day, all by Your grace, through the process of Your creation, I will be like You, according to Your Word: "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: When He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). That's hard to believe. But I choose to believe You and Your Word. I choose to live my life as if it were true -- because it is. Before I was, You were I Am. And You saw who I would be -- a child of God, created to be conformed to the image of God. Your Word is faithful and true. It will not fail, but will accomplish all that You have said -- even what You have said about me (Isaiah 55:11). 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

One Church, One Body 6-12-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart and open the ears of my spirit. I want to see what You're doing and hear what You're saying to me today. ... "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in the one body" (Colossian 3:15). "How many churches are there in Kerrville?" the pastor asked. "One!", everybody in the sanctuary shouted back as they all held up a single finger in the air. "Who's church has the most members?" "Jesus!", they declared. That's the kingdom of God, a kingdom perspective of the body of Christ. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-5). There are many streams, yet one river; many gifts, yet one Spirit; "many members, yet one body" (1 Corinthians 12:20). Sometimes we need to forgive one another so we can move forward with one another. We can't love one another unless we are willing to embrace one another. We can't speak the truth in love to one another unless we're willing to speak to one another -- and listen to one another. But if we will humble ourselves to hear one another's heart and humble ourselves to forgive and be forgiven, there is a bond that You form out of the brokenness that becomes stronger than ever before. The strongest part of the steel becomes the very place where the broken pieces were welded together. As You bind up our broken hearts and set free our captive souls, You open up Your heavens and "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19). We cross over into the land of our destiny as one (Joshua 3:1-17). Then the world sees the Son in us, as Your name is the banner over us and Your nature is the love within us (John 17:22; Song of Solomon 2:4). 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

Spirit of the Living and Loving God 6-11-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. And I thank You for first loving me. ... "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). A good father loves to give good gifts to his children. You are my perfect Father; and You have given me the perfect gift of Your Spirit (Matthew 7:11). In the gift of Your Holy Spirit, You have given me the power to overcome by Your grace everything that would try to steal my peace and joy. In the gift of Your Spirit, You have given me the love that casts out every fear of rejection, unworthiness, and failure. In the gift of Your Spirit, You have given me the sound mind of Christ that keeps me from being tossed to and fro with every question and challenge. "The Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). So I welcome the life of Your Spirit in me. I welcome Your power, Your love, and Your mind. I welcome You into me. "Spirit of the living God," Spirit of the loving God, come fall afresh on me today (v. 3:3). "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we had tremendous testimonies and experiences of God's healing love in our lives last night in Kerrville, Texas (What a great birthday present!). We'll have a time of celebration and continued dedication tonight. I pray the same for you and thank you for praying for us. We've had great interest in the cruise next February from Florida to the Cayman Islands where I've been invited to be the inspirational speaker. The cruise line extended the deadline for deposits ($25 of the $500 price for a five day, all-included cruise). So please let us know right away if you'd like to come. We'd love to have you! DirOfMinistries@aol.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

"Joy Comes with the Morning" 6-10-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be lifted up and draw me near to You. ... "May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying theirs sheaves" (Psalm 126:6). Tear flow when You touch the tender places of our soul. They are like cleansing streams drawing out the toxins of our pain. Yesterday and last night, as we allowed You to touch those tender places of unhealed wounds, it seemed those streams became rivers and rivers became oceans as You ministered Your healing love to Your people personally and as a church. And now as You continue to draw out the pain and the shame, resentment and regret, disappointment and anger from hearts and souls, let Your healing waters continue to flow. But all that is sown in tears will be reaped with joy. "Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5). My wife tells me that when I'm in prayer ministry, I just like to see people cry. And I guess it's true! But it's true because I love to see You draw out the pain and pour in Your love, lift off the shame and pour in Your grace. I love to see You uproot the bitterness and replant Your righteousness, to see the broken become whole, the bound become free, the depressed and discouraged arise into newness of life. I love to see You give Your beauty for our ashes, the oil of gladness for out mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). The praise is worth the pain. The joy of the morning is worth the mourning of the night. And I look forward to the testimonies of rivers of joy I'll hear about today. "You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever" (Psalm 30:11-12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please continue to cover us in prayer for our daily prayer ministry seasons and evening healing prayer meetings this week at the First Christian Church in Kerrville, Texas. The Lord is healing hearts and changing lives. And I pray the same for 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

Union Church 6-9-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 'You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God ..." (1 Kings 5:2-5). You've sent me this week to pray with Your people, proclaim the coming of Your kingdom, and help prepare the way of the Lord in Kerrville, Texas. We're meeting at the First Christian Church, one of the original four churches of this community. Your city-wide church began with the blessing of unity in this hill country community. People of faith and prayer from four different denominations came together to build the Union Church -- shared jointly by the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Christian churches. All four traditions of Your body in this city came together in this house of the Lord for its first service on Christmas Eve, 1885. You crushed the enemy of sectarianism and division under the feet of the unified body of Christ in this region. Under the name of Jesus, they came together "to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," declaring by word and action that Your church is of "one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:3-6). It's in the unity of the body and the bond of the Spirit that You establish Your victorious church and give us "rest on every side" from the warfare of adversity and misfortune. In the city-wide witness of Your city-wide church we win the city-wide war in the heavenly realms. The principalities and powers of the kingdom of darkness are displaced by the light of the glory of Your kingdom shining forth through Your people who choose to love You and love one another. You release Your power through the union of Your church. On Your high priestly prayer to our Father during Your ministry on earth, You prayed that we "may become completely one, so that the world may know You have sent (Your Son)" (John 17:23). Restore the church of this city to that deep and strong root of unity. Bring together Your church in every city in the bonds of love and peace in Your Spirit to display Your glory. In that bond, the enemy of our souls and Your church will be crushed under our feet by the power of Your name (Romans 16:20). Though Your church, the lost will be found, the broken will be healed, and the bound will be free because the world will know that the Father has sent His Son in His love for them. 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

Rugged Beauty 6-8-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that You are Lord. ... "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" (Psalm 50:1). Yesterday I drove up from the serene beauty of the coastal plains up into the rugged beauty of the Texas hill country. Both are just a beautiful in their own right, but splendidly diverse. As my friends and I sat out on their front porch in our rocking chairs admiring the rugged beauty of these hills, creeks, and valleys tucked away in the heart of Texas, we couldn't help admire our Creator. Just as You create the earth with such diversity and beauty, so You create each of us. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works" (Psalm 139:14). And whether we are more rugged or more serene, we are each created to display Your beauty with our lives. And there is nothing more beautiful than a heart fully surrendered to You, passionately seeking the glory of Your presence, and coming alive to the uniqueness of Your calling and their destiny to share Your beauty with others. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns' " (Isaiah 52:7). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching this morning and teaching this week on inner healing and spiritual warfare at the First Christian Church of Kerrville, Texas. Please keep us in your prayers. We've had a lot of interest in our Caribbean Cruise for next February where I've been invited to be the inspirational speaker. Please let Marilyn know right away if you'd like to come: DirOfMinistries@aol.com God bless! 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

The Ride of My Life 6-7-08

Morning by Morning, Saturday Good morning, Lord Jesus. I want to be Christ-centered and Christ-consumed. You are my "all in all" (Ephesians 1:23). ... "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things in heaven and earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:15-20). I stopped by to see some old friends in Corpus Christi yesterday, one of my old law partners and his wife and family. They were all together under a big tent in the front yard of their church -- along with over seven-hundred and fifty kids screaming and singing about Jesus at the top of their lungs! The Vacation Bible School they lead every year just keeps growing, with kids and helpers and parents from all different churches and neighborhoods in their city. By Your grace and the power of Your Spirit, they are fulfilling Your commission to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). For these kids, You are personal and real; and You have "come to have first place in everything" in their lives. And as they go out from their big tent in their neon green t-shirts bolding declaring, "Choose Jesus for the ride of your life!" their lives and their city will never be the same. Lord Jesus, keep awakening that kind of passion in me. As a disciple of Christ, I want to be consumed with the "Spirit of Christ" more every day (Romans 8:9). Keep coming into the center of my life to have first place in everything. By Your grace, I want to be a Spirit-filled, Christ-centered disciple of Jesus Christ, busy "turning the world upside down" in the ride of my life (Acts 17:6). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leaving Corpus Christi today after our annual ordination service to go preach and minister at the First Christian Church of Kerrville in the Texas hill country for the next few days. Please keep us in your prayers. We've had a lot of interest in our Caribbean Cruise for next February. please let Marilyn know right away if you'd like to come: DirOfMinistries@aol.com God bless! 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

Potter's Clay 6-6-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Like clay in a potter's hands, I entrust my heart and my day to You. ... "Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). You see the end from the beginning. You already see every choice that will ever be made and all the consequences thereof. All eternity is already present to You. And in the mystery of both Your sovereignty and my free will, You set before me true choices every moment of every day (Deuteronomy 30:19). Yet at the same time, You have always known every choice I would ever make before I ever made the first one (Psalm 139:16). In Your sovereignty, You give me the freedom to choose to seek You or not, trust You or not, obey You or not. You have dreams and hopes and plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11). Let them become my dreams and hopes and plans as well. You are a master Potter, but Your are also a loving Father. And into Your hands, I willingly choose to entrust the clay of my heart for the shaping of this day and my life for Your purpose. 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

"The Day Approaching" 6-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for Your face and listen for Your voice in the silence of surrender before You. ... "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Sometimes I hear someone of the generations before me say, "I remember back in the day ...." And then they tell of something that was a lot better than how it is today -- like gas being fifty cents instead of four dollars a gallon or children respecting their elders or most people going to church on Sunday mornings. It's good to look back and remember the stories of our lives, especially to look back and see Your hand weaving together the threads of relationships and events that have made us who we are (Exodus 13:3; John 12:16). "I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember Your deeds of old" (Psalm 77:11). And it's good to meet together to share our war stories and Your glory stories, as we honor You in our journeys. But as we remember the days that have passed, let us also remember the Day approaching. On that Day, we "will have to give an account for every careless word" (Matthew 12:36). We will "give an accounting to Him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4:5). As we look forward to that Day, let us encourage and inspire one another to live each day for You, "so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2). We thank You for Your grace that covers our sin of wasted time, and we thank You for Your grace to redeem our time to come. Let us choose now to entrust our time to 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

Reporting the Praises of God 6-4-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I give my heart and this day to You. ... "When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them" (Acts 15:4). Since the beginning of the revival that burned through England over two hundred years ago, John Wesley called his Methodist preachers together each year. It was a time to worship and pray together, encourage one another, wrestle with issues of doctrine, and sort out the practical matters of sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. No doubt "they reported all that God had done with them." And so we continue today, reporting the praises of God. Pastors, evangelists, and the "circuit riders" of our day with gather with one another and church leaders in regions across the nation in these first weeks of summer. Because of the prayer ministry You've called me to, I'm more of a circuit rider and an evangelist than a pastor of a local church; and I look forward to gathering with those who have been seeking to fulfill their calling in the places and ways You've sent them. Though You've called me to a broad ministry that crosses all denominational lines to help "prepare the way of the Lord" and "minister the healing love of God" through prayer ministry, You've chosen to keep me rooted in the Methodist movement. And as we come together to pray and praise and wrestle with the practicalities of ministry, may we all remain rooted in You -- "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Let us remember that all that we have done that will carry any eternal significance is only what You have done through us by Your Spirit for Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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. This coming Monday Night June 9th, Vicky Welch will lead in a Feast of Pentecost Celebration -- all are welcome. 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! 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 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

"The Whole City" 6-3-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close to You and never let me go. By Your grace, I'll never let go of You. ... "Then next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ... Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. ... And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:44-52). Lord, let this be the day that whole cities are filled with a hunger for God and whole regions are filled with the word of the Lord. Fill us with Your joy and Your Spirit as You awaken our generation to our destiny. The day is soon coming and may already be dawning that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas" (Habakkuk 2:14). You are moving mightily in earth in our day. Lord, move in me. Move in my city, in my region, and as far as Your grace will go. I hear the cry of the old hymn rising up in my heart with the hunger and passion You're stirring in me: Pass me not, O gentle Savior,Hear my humble cry;While on others Thou art calling,Do not pass me by. Savior, Savior,Hear my humble cry;While on others Thou art calling,Do not pass me by. Do not pass me by, Lord. In this great awakening to arise and be filled with Your Spirit and equipped with Your word to reveal the good news of Your salvation in the great harvest to come, do not pass me by. Don't pass by my city and my region. Make us hungry and thirsty to settle for nothing less than the fullness of Your presence in our midst. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be going to Corpus Christi, Texas today for my Annual Conference where I'm under "special appointment" from my bishop there to lead Messiah Ministries. That's where I used to practice law before the Lord called me into the ministry. Though our ministry is interdenominational and based in Lexington, Kentucky, I'm ordained with the United Methodist Church in the Southwest Texas Conference (the area that covers Austin, San Antonio, San Angelo, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and most of the region between Houston and Mexico. Please pray that the Lord will not pass us by, for it's His heart to fill all hearts with the glory of His presence. Next Sunday, I'll be ministering at a Church of Christ in the Texas hill country of Kerrville, praying for the Lord to fill us afresh with His Spirit there as well. Thank you for your prayers! And I'm praying for 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

"Prepare the Way of the Lord" 6-2-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Take me by the hand and lead me by the heart into the light of this new day. ... "A voice cries out: 'In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all the people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken' " (Isaiah 40:3-5). Lord, let me hear the voice of Your Holy Spirit calling to the depths of my human spirit. "Deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:7). You are preparing my heart for more of Your heart, emptying me of more of my self and filling me with more of Your Self (Ephesians 3:19). You are preparing the way of the Lord, preparing the way for the glory of the Lord to be revealed in me and in every one of Your people, according to Your will and Your Word -- "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). So the same Holy Spirit who brings comfort, but also bring conviction (Isaiah 40:1-2). In Your mercy, You convict us; in Your love, You correct us (Hebrews 12:5-6). In Your desire for unhindered relationship with us, You seek to remove everything that separate us (Romans 8:39). So You bring down every mountain and idol that we would lift up to take Your place on the thrones of our hearts. You lift up every valley of discouragement and disappointment that would keep us for seeing You and the horizons You've set before us in Your plan for our lives. You make every crooked place straight that would lead us astray with distraction or deception. And You remove everything that might cause us to stumble and fall on the path of the destiny You've set before us. So help me hear and help me listen. Help me wait for the leading of Your Spirit, then arise and shine in the light of the glory of Your presence to follow You wherever You lead each day (Isaiah 60:1). Give me wisdom to listen for the voice of the One crying in my soul, trying to prepare the way of the Lord in me. Give me courage to welcome You into the wilderness of my ways so You can lead me into Yours. Then "the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad" (Isaiah 35:1). Then, with all those who are called by Your name and surrendered to Your will, we will look and see together what You are doing and hear what "the mouth of the Lord has spoken" into our human spirits by the voice of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for our gathering at the Billy Graham training center at The Cove in NC last weekend. Margaret Therkelsen led us by the Spirit into deeper depths of surrender and intimacy with God to be available as instruments in His hands in our world. And I was so thrilled to be able to preach and share my testimony in their beautiful chapel in the mountains with my friends from Margaret's city-wide prayer group she's led now for 29 years of faithful ministry to the Lord in Lexington. I pray the blessing of your connection with a vital praying group as the Holy Spirit prepares the way of the Lord in your city and region. 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

You're Invited for an Inspirational Cruise!

Friends of Messiah Ministries and Tommy Hays, I've been invited by The Haven as the inspirational speaker for a 5 day Caribbean Cruise in February 2009 You are Invited to Come! Sponsored by The Haven INSPIRATION CRUISE -- FEBRUARY 23-28, 2009 Cruise with Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays · From Tampa Bay, FL to Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Cayman (Carnival Cruises). · Interior Cabin: $473.00/person; Ocean View: $543.00/person (includes taxes & port fees) · Accommodations, meals, & on-board entertainment included. · Worship and Teaching with Tommy Hays & Team after dinner each evening

Payment Schedule: • Initial deposit of $25 per person due by June 10, 2008. • Second deposit of $200 per person due Oct 20, 2008. • Final payment is due Dec 19. 2008.

There is a $25 per person cancellation fee after the second deposit. There are penalties after the final payment. Checks should be made payable to: The Travel Authority PASSPORTS ARE REQUIRED (Subject to change). Application and mailing will be sent to you by email at your request. If you are interested, please contact us right away: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or call Marilyn Walker at 859-317-1591 Fax or mail completed form to: The Travel Authority, Jeannie Anderson 175 E. Alex Bell Rd., Suite 272 Centerville, Ohio 45459 Fax (937) 610-0475 God bless you and I hope you can come! Tommy Hays Messiah Ministries http://www.messiah-ministries.org/

Blessed to See and Hear 5-30-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I know You and trust You. Help me know You and trust You more each day. ... "Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it' " (Luke 10:23-24). We are entering into an amazing time on the earth -- where darkness, suffering, and evil increase, but at the same time, the light increases even more in the midst of the darkness (Isaiah 60:1-3; Philippians 2:14-15). So we don't need to deny the darkness or the suffering, but we do need to embrace the light. We don't need to deny our disappointments, but we do need to celebrate Your victories. Prophets and kings have longed for these days. And those who kept seeking You and trusting You despite their disappointment and discouragement that the promises of Your Word seemed to tarry, kept doing their part in their generation by Your grace and their faith to prepare the way for what we are beginning to experience (Hebrews 11:39-40). Even when those of past generations saw the move of Your mighty hand in their own hearts and in the lives of others, You kept reminding them to keep their hearts focused and their eyes fixed on the goal of a personal relationship with You. "Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). It's in the eternal blessing and certain hope of that relationship that we can endure the suffering of our disappointments where Your kingdom has not yet fully come and celebrate with excitement and praise where it is coming in ways we can hardly believe. Keep increasing our faith to believe in You and all You want to do in our lives and on the earth. Heaven is invading earth; Your kingdom is coming (Luke 17:20-21). Keep lifting from us the disappointment when it doesn't seem heaven is invading earth fast enough, that Your kingdom is coming soon enough. Let that make us even more hungry, more thirsty, more determined to align our hearts with heaven and pray with unfaltering faith for more of heaven to be manifested on earth and in us (Luke 11:2 and 17:20-21). In the trusting faith of a personal relationship with You, our names will be written on Your heart in heaven and Your name will be written on our hearts on earth. And we will be amazed to see and hear all You do in our days and all You are in us (Colossians 1:27). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be at joining a group to hear one of my spiritual mentors, Margaret Therkelsen, at The Cove this weekend, the Billy Graham Training Center in NC: www.thecove.org I'll be sharing my testimony of faith and prayer and leading in the Lord's Supper Sunday morning. Please keep us in your prayers and I pray for the coming of the kingdom in God's power in your hearts and your region. Please send us a note right away to come join us in February. I've just been invited to be the inspirational speaker for a five day cruise (Tampa Bay/Cozumel/Grand Cayman) next February hosted by The Haven. You are invited to come join us! But a reservation and initial deposit ($25) must be made right away (total cost about $500 per person). Please send a note for details or call Marilyn Walker at 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.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

"Picked Up Dead" but "Taken Away Alive" 5-29-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my thoughts with Your thoughts, my will with Your will, and my ways with Your ways. ... "A young man named Eutychus who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, 'Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.' Then Paul went upstairs and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted" (Acts 20:9-12). My friend Palma could hardly contain herself testifying to the power and glory of Your name yesterday. She was visiting her aunts in eastern Kentucky a few days ago when one of them suddenly turned dark, her body went stiff, and she quit breathing. They tried to give her CPR to resuscitate her body. But my friend Palma felt led to boldly pray to resuscitate her spirit. She said she rebuked the spirit of death in the name of Jesus and prayed for the breath of life to fill her aunt's body (John 10:10; Acts 2:24). And life returned. Some would say that was an accident; some would say that was a miracle. Some would say that she was not dead, only passed out; some would say she was raised from the dead by the power of God. I'm sure they had the same discussions around the young man who was "picked up dead" but then "taken away alive" after Paul prayed for him. What matters most to me is what You say, Lord. What is Your theology of life and death, healing and deliverance, heaven and earth? Correct me where I'm wrong and encourage me where I'm right. I don't want to lead anyone astray and I don't want anything less than the fullness of Your will in my life. But it seems Your Word says Your disciples will heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers, and raise the dead in the authority and power of Your name to display Your glory on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 10:8). This is part of Your command and commission to Your church: "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near' " (v. 10:7). You said, "The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do" and "As the Father has sent Me so I send you" (John 14:12 and 20:21). Lord, has the kingdom of heaven come near? Are You beginning to release the signs and wonders in America we hear about you releasing in other parts of the world? Are You pouring out Your Spirit and opening up Your heavens at a new level we've never seen since the first apostolic generation? Is Your kingdom coming and Your will being done in answer to the prayer You taught us to pray? Is the revival we've long for and prepared the way for beginning to be released in our generation? Is the great harvest finally at hand? Word of Your wonders is spreading from Florida, South Carolina, and California. I'm hearing of healing revival breaking out in western Kentucky and now this testimony from eastern Kentucky. Even in our own ministry we're seeing You accelerate the healing process of spirit, soul, and body as You bind up the broken-hearted and set the captives free (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Isaiah 61; Luke 4). And we are praying for more miracles of salvation, healing, and deliverance. "God added His testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His will" (Hebrews 2:4). We are all hungry for more, Lord -- more of You, more of Your presence, more of Your power made manifest to the glory of Your name in our lives. And while I'm heartbroken over what has not yet been happening, I'm also celebrating what is happening. While I plead with You for the breakthroughs in what it seems You are not doing, I praise You for the breakthroughs in what You are doing. More, Lord. As in the days of Paul and as in the days of my friend Palma, let us not hold back from "speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of His grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them" (Acts 14:3). This is the good news of the kingdom of heaven. This is the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, for those who are interested, here's a link to Rick Joyner's thoughts on this current revival in his most recent prophetic bulletin just released. I'm a member of the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries that he leads: MorningStar Ministries : #7 - The History and Future of the Present Revival - Part 4 I've just been invited to be the inspirational speaker for a five day cruise (Tampa Bay/Cozumel/Grand Cayman) next February hosted by The Haven. You are invited to come join us! But a reservation and initial deposit ($25) must be made right away (total cost about $500 per person). Please send a note for details or call Marilyn Walker at 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com 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/

Follow the Path 5-28-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One and You are welcome in moments of my day. ... "You must therefore be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left. You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess" (Deuteronomy 5:35-36). There is a path You have set before me to walk each day. And I have a choice to walk that way or not. If I persistently choose to walk in that path by the grace and the light that You give, it will go well with me. It does not mean that it will go easy for me or go without heartache and pain for me, but it will go well for me. For You will go with me, and whenever You go with me, it is well with my soul. Though I go through the challenges of a fallen creation, filled with fallen people, surrounded by fallen spirits, I will not fear nor fail, for You go with me (Isaiah 43:2). If I am to do what You command and follow where You lead, I must know Your Word and listen to Your Spirit. I must begin the journey each day entrusting the day to You. Like Moses, I must resolve in my heart that unless You go with me, I don't want to go; and I don't want to go anywhere You are not leading (Exodus 33:15). Apart from Your grace, I can't hear Your Word or obey Your will. But I never have to be apart from Your grace. You give freely of Your Spirit to all who ask (Luke 11:13). By the leading of Your Spirit, I will not turn to the right or to the left, but follow the path that You set before me today. If I step off the path, You will correct me. If I follow the path, You will encourage me. And by Your grace I will live out this day possess the land You lay on my heart and entrust to my care. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I've just been invited to be the inspirational speaker for a five day cruise (Tampa Bay/Cozumel/Grand Cayman) next February hosted by The Haven. You are invited to come join us! But a reservation and initial deposit must be made right away. Please send a note for details or call Marilyn Walker at 859-317-1591 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

"New Every Morning" 5-27-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait for Your word and listen for Your leading. ... "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:22-26). I sleep, but You never do. I rise to face a new day, but You are already there, preparing the way. You already know every challenge I'll face and every choice I'll make. You see the end from the beginning and everything in between. So wisdom calls me to seek the One who sees it all. And humility calls me to wait on the One who is willing to walk with me as a sure guide and trusted friend. Why is it so hard to wait and to seek? Why is it so hard to first listen for Your leading? The wisdom is worth the wait. The finding is worth the seeking. And the peace is worth the persistence. You ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). So it would only be wise to humble myself in the silence of surrender before You at the beginning of each new day to seek Your ways and listen for Your thoughts. And in Your steadfast love and tender mercies that are new every morning, You are always here to be found by each one who will take the time to seek 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

Remembering Our Warriors 5-26-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are my strength and shield, a mighty warrior and loving God. ... "These are the names of the warriors whom David had ..." (2 Samuel 23:8). Today is Memorial Day in our nation, a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives in the call of service to our nation. We honor those who honored us with their lives, even unto death. And we honor those who sacrificed by releasing them to their duty and are now grieving their loss. May their souls rest in the arms of our Father through the blood of Jesus, who willing made the greatest sacrifice of all for each one of us. You are a God of love and peace, but You are also a God of war when war is required in response to the violence of sin in our fallen world. "The Lord goes forth like a soldier, like a warrior He stirs up His fury; He cries out, He shouts aloud, He shows Himself mighty against His foes" (Isaiah 42:13). "In righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11). And though we long for the day when all wars will cease and Your peace will reign overall the earth, between now and then, "there is a time for war" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). So there is a time for warriors. And when our warriors have fallen, fighting our battles for our sakes, we honor their lives, we remember their names, and we thank them for their service to us all. 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

"See the Heavenes Opened" 5-25-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of heaven, come be King in me on earth as You are in heaven. ... "When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!' " (Acts 7:55-56). When Stephen was encircled by the rage of violence and injustice, God the Holy Spirit lifted his eyes to heaven. And there he gazed into the glory of God the Father and God the Son. As he opened his heart, You opened the heavens. As he lifted his eyes, You lifted his spirit. You gave him the courage and the confidence to keep his eyes fixed on things above rather than below, on the things that are eternal rather than temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). They stoned his body, but his spirit soared to heaven (Acts 7:57-60). I hear in his heart and see by his witness that he learned by Your Spirit to know he could always lift up his eyes to the One who was his strength and courage. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1). Even in the face of fear and death, Stephen was secure in Your peace because he knew the source of his strength and the destination of his soul. "With the Lord on my side, I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? ... Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord" (Psalm 118:6-19). And by Your grace and Your Spirit, so do I. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching at my home church in Lexington today, Sunday 5/25 at two of our services (9:45 and 5:15) as the first sermon of a new series on Heaven www.CentenaryLex.com Please come join us anytime you can and please keep us in your prayers. May our hearts be prepared and your eyes be lifted to heaven! 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

Heaven's Home 5-24-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Heavenly Father. Good morning, Holy Spirit. It's a good morning because You're a good God. ... "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going" (John 14:1-4). You have prepared a place for me -- a place called heaven, a place called home. For "our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). We are "strangers and foreigners on the earth ... seeking a homeland" because we "desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one," where You "have prepared a city" for us (Hebrews 11:13-16). So as I journey through the challenges that humble me and the opportunities that mature me in this broken, fallen world, I choose by Your grace to look to heaven. "Since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). I look beyond the brokenness to the wholeness to come, beyond the bondage to decay toward the freedom and joy of all You have prepared for me in heaven's home. By Your grace, I will live out all my days, learn all my lessons, endure all my trials, and fulfill all my destiny. But all the while, I will be looking forward to all that is to come. "For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). So though my feet are on earth, my heart is in heaven. And no matter what I will endure through this short but eternally significant journey, it will all be worth it. "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching at my home church in Lexington this Sunday 5/25 at two of our services (9:45 and 5:15) to begin a new sermon series on Heaven http://www.centenarylex.com/ Please come join us anytime you can and please keep us in your prayers. May our hearts be prepared for heaven! 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/

"Life in His Name" 5-23-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Living Word, bring Your Word to life in me. ... "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31). What does it mean to have life in Your name? Your name speaks of Your nature -- "Jesus" means "the salvation of the Lord." Salvation is the fullness of life. You said You came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). And we embrace that life as we trust in Your name and embrace Your nature. As we behold You and embrace You, we become more like You (2 Corinthians 3:18). And this book of Your Word reveals Your truth and Your nature. These signs of Your love, recorded through men by Your Spirit for us reveal Your will for us and Your heart for us. And while we do not worship Your written Word, we do worship the One who is revealed by Your Word. These written words lead us to the Living Word, in whom we have life. "You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.... That word is the good news that was announced to you" (1 Peter 1:23-25). Thank You for writing these words and speaking them to my heart by Your Spirit. Help me grow in understanding of the truths You reveal and nature of Your name through Your Word. Help me grow in understanding the One who is the Word, the One who is the Truth, and the One who is my Life (John 1:1 and 14:6). There is life "no other name" (Acts 4:12). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be preaching at my home church in Lexington this Sunday at two of our services (9:45 and 5:15) to begin a new sermon series on Heaven www.CentenaryLex.com Please come join us anytime you can and please keep us in your prayers! 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

"The Light of Life" 5-22-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Living Word of the Living God. Come live in me by Your Spirit today. ... "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? My vows to You I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling so that I may walk before my God in the light of life" (Psalm 56:10-13). Thank You for the comfort of Your word and the encouragement of Your truth. Thank You for the light of life that leads me through every dark valley of the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are with me. I will not turn back but keep pressing on, for Your love compels me. My vow to You is that I choose to entrust my life to You. Give me grace to trust You more each day. Give me perspective to thank You for the grace of each day You give me to walk before You in this journey of my days through earth and toward heaven. And while "we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord," You call us each to do our part in the time we have to fulfill Your will through our lives (2 Corinthians 5:8). So let me not take a day for granted, but offer each day as a thank offering to You. As I live out "the measure of my days" to fulfill the plan and purpose You've chosen for my life, "let me know how fleeting my life is" (Psalm 39:4). As I follow the light of life, remind me what a gift and opportunity You have given me with Your deliverance of my soul from death another day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can Tonight, 5/22, for Prayer, Care, Share in Lexington 7-9 pm, Crown Plaza/Campbell House sponsored by Lexington Leadership Foundation: "Connect -- Unify -- Mobilize -- Transform" our City for God. During the breakout sessions, I'll be speaking on racial reconciliation and healing for unity in the body and partnership in ministry. Please spread the word and come join us for this significant city-wide event. 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

Victory of Life over Death 5-21-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome into my heart and into my day. ... "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, this is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). I hate death. And so do You. Your Word promises, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death is the work of the devil, "the one who has the power death" according to the Word of God. But You have defeated him through the victory of Your cross. And You destroy his works through the power of Your blood. "The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). One day, "Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:4). "Death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14). And I can't wait for that day. Yet You willingly endured death so that we might live with You forever (John 11:25-26). In You, "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). I thank You for the teaching us the truth that death is not our friend, You are our Friend. Death is a valley to go through and death is an enemy to defeat. And the power of Your love and the grip of Your life leads us through the valley and into victory. And until that day, keep giving me Your hatred of death and Your passion for life (John 10:10). In the authority of Your name and the power of the Your blood, I want to be part of the fulfillment of Your Word that we will "raise the dead" as disciples of Christ (Matthew 10:8). I hear of Your miracles being released on the earth today as never before. I want to be part of Your end-time revival and the world-wide harvest of souls into the glory of Your kingdom. I look forward to the increase of Your glory upon the earth and upon Your people (Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 60:1-3). And one day soon when You return in the glory of the clouds of heaven, we will see Your world-wide display of the victory of Life over Death (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Until that day, let me be found faithful, fighting Death and embracing Life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come join us if you can for Prayer, Care, Share this Thurs Night 5/22, 7-9 pm, Crown Plaza/Campbell House in Lexington sponsored by Lexington Leadership Foundation: "Connect -- Unify -- Mobilize -- Transform" our City for God. During the breakout sessions, I'll be speaking on racial reconciliation and healing for unity in the body and partnership in ministry. Please spread the word and come join us for this significant city-wide event. 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

"These Little Ones" 5-20-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I call on Your name I come into alignment with Your will for my day. ... "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10, NKJV). You are the Advocate for all the little children who cannot speak for themselves, the Defender for these little ones who cannot defend themselves. With a fierceness of love You fight for their right to draw near to You, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs" (Matthew 19:14). And with that same fierceness of love You warn those who would harm them in any way, "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in Me, if would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drown in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). Lord Jesus, You love the little children, all the children of the world. You love those who joyfully sing the praises of Your name and You love those who do not yet know it. You love those who spirits are filled with Your breath of life and You love those who are created and carried in their mother's womb before they breathe their first breath. Your angels watch over them and fight for them until the day You gather them out of this broken, fallen world into the arms of Your presence to see Your face forever. "Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong." Thank You for the strength and power of Your love. Nothing can ever separate us or any of these little ones from the strength and power of the God who is Love (Romans 8:37-39; 1 John 4:8). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please pray for the family of Rob and Mary Adams today as we honor the life of their stillborn child, Samuel Robert Adams. These are times we especially need to know the unfailing love of God and the comfort of His steady presence through these valleys of the shadow of death. And I pray for each of you as you go through those valleys in the journey of your lives. 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