A Word to the World

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re the same yesterday, today, and forever. You’re unchanging, unfailing. You’re steadfast and true. Move in my heart today as You’ve moved in the hearts of all who sought Your face, listened for Your voice, and yearned for the day of Your glory and power made manifest in their lives and their lands throughout the ages... “ ‘And now, Lord, … grant to Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy son Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31). Testimonies of God’s grace and goodness in our lives, hope in expectant faith of God’s power and provision to come in our futures, love in the embrace of God’s people of His family of faith from Wales, Korea, England, and America—all bound together in a safe and sacred atmosphere of fervent prayer and passionate worship. We were so honored to be a part of this weekly prayer gathering at Moriah Chapel that’s continued down through the generations in this place where the fires of the Welsh Revival first burst forth. We were humbled to join in their prayers for You to burn with revival fire through this land again. Staying in his family home and reading of his spiritual journey, I’ve been stirred up in my spirit with fresh desire for a move of God in my heart, as Your Holy Spirit stirred in the heart of Evan Roberts, the young man who yearned for revival in prayer and saw it come to pass in his time. When revival comes, it will look much different than before, as it always does, I’m sure. But when I read Evan’s accounts of how You moved it the past, it give me passion and hope to pray You’ll move again in our day: A Word to the World by Evan Roberts The Power of the revival in South Wales is not of men, but of God. He has been close to us and has shown us the way. There is no question of creed or of dogma in this movement. The work that is being done has the support, I believe, of all Christian people and Christian churches in our country. I have merely preached the religion of Jesus Christ as I myself have experienced it. God has made me glad, and I am showing others the great joy of serving Him, a joy so great and so wonderful that I shall never be able to express it in its completeness. We are teaching no sectarian doctrine, only the wonder and the beauty of Christ’s love, the love of man for Him, and the love of man for man. I have been asked concerning my methods. I have none. I never prepare the words I shall speak. I leave all that to Him. I am not the source of this revival. I am only one agent in what is growing to be a multitude. I am not moving men’s hearts and changing men’s lives; not I, but God worketh in me. I have found what is, in my belief, the highest kind of Christianity. I desire to give my life, which is all I have to give, to helping others to find it also. Many have already found it, thank God, and many more are finding it through them. This is my work as He has pointed it out to me. His Spirit came to me one night, when upon my knees I asked Him for guidance, and five months later I was baptized with the Spirit. He has led me as He will lead all those who, conscious of their human weakness, lean upon Him as children upon a father. I know that the work which has been done through me is not due to any human ability that I possess. It is His work and to His Glory. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on. I loved to choose and see my path, but now lead Thou me on. I desire nothing but to be allowed to continue this work that has begun. The Lord is my Shepherd. I fear no want. All things necessary He has provided, and will provide. I wish no personal following, only the world for Christ. Some things have been said about our meetings, and about me which are not true; but God’s truth has not been hurt by these misstatements, and they, therefore, matter little. I believe, too, that He has put it into the hearts of those who have written of the revival to say helpful things, for some of the papers have carried our message to many whom we have not personally reached. I believe that the world is upon the threshold of a great religious revival, and I pray daily that I may be allowed to help bring this about. I beseech all those who confess Christ to ask Him today, upon their knees, if He has not some work for them to do now. He will lead them all as He has led us. He will make them pillars of smoke by day and pillars of fire by night to guide all men to Him. Wonderful things have happened in Wales in a few weeks, but these are only a beginning. The world will be swept by His Spirit as by a rushing, mighty wind. Many who are now silent Christians, negative Christians, Christians whose belief means little to them and nothing to anyone else, will lead in the movement. Groping, hesitating, half-hearted Christians will see a great Light and will reflect this Light to thousands of those in utter darkness. The whole world will hear His message of peace, good-will toward men, and listening, will be blessed. Thousands upon thousands will do more than we have accomplished, as God gives them power. This is my earnest faith, if the churches will but learn the great lesson of obedience to the voice of the Holay Spirit. Obedience! Obedience!! Obedience!!! —Evan Roberts, 1904 Yes, Lord. This is my prayer. Come move in Your Church, come move in Your world like a rushing, mighty wind in our day. Let our houses and our hearts be shaken, as we are filled again with Holy Spirit to speak Your word and live out our lives with boldness and faith to the glory of Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer for the Healing Revival Meeting at Moriah Chapel in Loughor, Wales, Wednesday night at 7pm. We understand many of the youth are planning to join us, with young worship leaders in the south Wales area making the arrangements. Heather Butler will be singing in the Spirit with her gift of prophetic psalms sang personally over the people, I'll be preaching, while Heather, Andrea, and I will be praying for people in personal ministry. It's fairly miraculous that we have been given a chance to preach and minister like this in such a spiritual historic place! Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement for us on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip and for our continuing ministry back home. May all the Lord is imparting to us be imparted to you as well! (Romans 1:11) God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“O Lord, Bend Me!” – The Cry of Revival 10-25-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I open up my heart, You open up Your heavens. As my praises rise up, let Your glory come down. … “Will You not revive us again, so that You people may rejoice in You? Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:6-7). Evan Roberts was twenty-six years old when You used him and his prayers to ignite the great Welsh Revival of 1904 that set the world ablaze in one of the greatest world-wide awakenings since the day of Pentecost. He was just a simple young man—working in the coal mines, then as a blacksmith, then just beginning his studies for ministry—but he was passionate in His pursuit of the Presence of God. He had been praying fervently for the fire of God to fall in his heart, his church, and his nation, then to spread like wildfire to the nations. The cry of his heart was, “Bend us, O God. Bend me!” And at the Monday weekly prayer meeting in the little Methodist church in the village of Loughor, Wales called Moriah Chapel, You bent him over the pew, trembling in passionate prayer when Your fire fell and Your glory came down. They say the revival fire that burned across the land and quickly spread to the nations of the earth was fueled by testimonies and prayer more than great preaching and teaching. It was a move of the Spirit in hearts more than minds, awakening the souls of men and women with a hunger and thirst for righteousness and Your Presence. I’m beyond thrilled to be going to that same Monday prayer meeting at Moriah Chapel with our ministry team today, with an invitation to share my testimony of Your salvation and Presence in my life, and to pray for Your great revival to burn again in our hearts and this land. Evan Roberts lived with his family in a simple home in Loughor, Wales. And in the bedroom he shared with his brother Dan upstairs, he cried out in prayer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). From an early age he had Christ in his life and Your Holy Spirit in his heart, but he wanted more. He burned with a passion more of Your love, more of Your power, more of Your Presence in his life to fulfill his destiny in Christ for the glory of Your name. And one night, Evan records in his journals that You visited him in his room for four hours and spoke to him as one speaks to a friend, coming to him every night for four months before the great revival began. And I’m beyond thrilled to be sleeping in that same room and even writing this morning prayer from this holy place where the glory of Your Presence came down. O Lord, bend us. O Lord, bend me. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit today and every day. Set my heart ablaze with a passion for You and a hunger for Your Presence. Let revival come and let it begin in me every day. Let my heart and soul be awakened into newness of life, morning by morning and day by day, with all who are hunger and thirst for more of You. Let Your love and Your power pour through us everywhere You send us. Let Your revival fires burn again in the hearts of Your people in our generation throughout every tongue and tribe and nation of the earth. Let the earth again “be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for us on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. We've had incredible times of ministry over the weekend in Oxford and Wells, England, then returning to Wales last night for our time here in Loughor in the Glower region of south Wales where the flames of the Welsh Revival ignited at Moriah Chapel. I'll be sharing my testimony at the prayer meeting today and preaching a Healing Revival Meeting at Moriah Chapel Wednesday night that the area worship leaders have arranged. God's Spirit continues to move in power as Heather Butler sings in the Spirit prophetically over the people and our team ministers the healing love of God everywhere He sends us on our journey. Thank you for joining in the journey of this exciting adventure through Wales and England this month. I pray for revival and awakening in your heart and land too. The Lord has also been doing wonderful things in my personal life as well on this trip, so I'm very grateful for all those who been praying for me personally. Thank you! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Gates of Righteousness and Revival 10-22-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lead me in Your way, teach me Your truth, empower me with Your life today. … “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it” (Psalm 118:19-20). We’ll be prayer walking through Oxford, England today with our friends who are prayer leaders in the city with an especially great burden to see revival among the students at the University. In these same halls, some young University students named George Whitefield, John Wesley, and Charles Wesley burned with that same passion. You imparted to them an uncommon desire for holiness in their hearts and significance with their lives. Others called their group “the Holy Club” because of their passion to pursue righteousness by Your Spirit and in Your Word. And history records how You set Britain ablaze with great awakening and revival through their lives. Lord, open to me the gates of righteousness. Give me a heart that seeks Your heart, a spirit pursues Your Spirit. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Your righteousness is not about rules and regulations. The righteousness You desire is a heart fully surrendered to You, fully available to You, embracing Your will for our lives, allowing You to conform our nature into Your image. Your righteousness is the restoration of our lives into right relationship with You and with one another through the grace and power of Your love. In the great revival that began in the hearts of these young men to burn like wild fire through Britain and America, John Wesley proclaimed to his preachers, “Expect no revival without preaching holiness.” And that’s still Your desire: Hearts ablaze with a desire for Your heart and Your nature. That is revival. And the way to revival is through the gates of righteousness. Only by grace can we enter in, but we can only enter in if we first purpose in our hearts to pursue it—to seek first the Kingdom of God and Your righteousness (Matthew 6:33). And by Your grace, let that be my heart’s desire. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip this month. We're in Oxford, England for a few days with prayer leaders in this area and where I'll be preaching at a community-wide gathering Friday night before returning to Wales. This is a historic city with deep Christian roots in the lives of the great revivalists George Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, as well as Christian authors C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien among many others. Thank you for joining with us in prayer and ministry! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Life Together in Christian Community 10-21-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Your name is the name above every name. Be high and lifted up in my heart and throughout my day. … “Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute their proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together at the temple, they broke bread from house to house and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:43-47). You’ve designed Christian life to be life lived together in a community of faith, spending “much time together” in worship and at home. And just as when a husband and wife are joined so that the two become one, yet they still maintain their own identities, while forming a new identity at the same, we have a new identity in Christian community, even as we maintain our own identity. And just as when healthy families freely give and support one another in their broader family as any has need, while continuing to maintain their unique identity and provision for their immediate families, so we are to live in our Christian family. That kind of community knows nothing of isolation or loneliness, suffering in silence, competition or greed. And while that kind of community comes with its own issues and struggles, You use even those to strengthen one another in the journey of spiritual maturity and self-sacrificing agape love. That’s the kind of community that grows day by day, with goodwill and favor in the city, and where You move in power in the hearts and lives of Your people, revealing Your glory to those You are drawing into Your community of faith. Last night, we joined the home gathering in a town outside Oxford, England, where our team is staying for a few nights while we minister here. It was the weekly gathering of their “pastorate,” where their Anglican Church in Oxford shares life together in small groups “from house to house,” breaking bread together, worshipping with one another and praying for one another, providing for each other as any has need, and serving their community as You lead. Their church is one of the places where Your Spirit is on the move and the community of Christian faith is growing in a land under spiritual siege. It was so good to encourage and be encouraged by one another’s testimonies of Your power and provision in our lives, while praying for our current needs and the needs of those You placed on our hearts. Thank You for this humble and powerful example and inspiration of living life in Christian community in any culture. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip this month. We're in Oxford, England for a few days with prayer leaders in this area and where I'll be preaching at a community-wide gathering Friday night before returning to Wales. This is a historic city with deep Christian roots in the lives of the great revivalists George Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, as well as Christian authors C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien among many others. Thank you for joining with us in prayer and ministry! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“The Womb of the Morning” 10-19-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am, Lord. Send me where You will in my heart and in my prayers. … “Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day You lead Your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, Your youth will come to You” (Psalm 110:3). Here in the womb of the morning, I wait on You to birth Your will in me. I offer myself willingly, freely to be led by Your Spirit into the encounters and experiences of this day. Let me be filled with Your vigor and vitality to go forth valiantly into the battles for the hearts and souls of men and women in the power of Your love and authority of Your name. These are not physical, but spiritual battles. And the weapons of my warfare are not the weapons of man, but have divine power to bring down strongholds of hardened hearts and blinded minds to the truth of Your love and majesty of Your grace, for all who will hear and embrace all You long for them to have (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). By Your grace, I don’t engage in battle from the valleys of human wisdom and strength, but from the mountains of Your holy Presence, in the wisdom and power of Your Holy Spirit, filling my heart and mind with Your Word and will. As I wait on You in the womb of the morning, You go before me to order the steps of my day. You go before me to prepare opportunities to accomplish Your purposes throughout the adventure that is yet to unfold. So I willingly offer You the sacrifice of my first thoughts, first words, and first desires of this new day. As You have decreed, “All that first opens the womb is Mine” (Exodus 34:19). And now all that You have birthed by my offering of worship and prayer through the womb of this morning is belongs to You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please cover us on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip this month. We'll be traveling tomorrow to meet with some prayer leaders in Oxford, England who have planned a prayer journey and times of prayer ministry there. The Lord has been using us recently in several opportunities of healing and reconciliation of relationships. Thank you for joining with us in prayer and ministry! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Holy Fire, My Heart’s Desire 10-18-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Consume me in the fire of Your Spirit. … Holy Fire My heart’s desire Is to know Your Presence and Your power The Presence of Your Fire And the power of Your love Burning in me Burning through me Your Holy Fire is my heart’s desire … Yes, Lord. Let this new song You’re writing in my heart and singing through my spirit be my cry and call, my dedication and consecration of my heart and life to You this day and every day. … “When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (2 Chronicles 7:1). “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 7:1). I’ve never noticed until this morning the parallel between 2 Chronicles 7:1 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. From both the Old Covenant of Your law and the New Covenant of Your grace, Your eternal Word speaks to us of Your holy fire that both falls down from heaven and flames up from within us to consume all that is set apart and offered freely to You. Your holy, purifying, all-consuming Fire filled Solomon’s temple with the glory of Your Presence. No flesh could stand in Your Presence (2 Chronicles 7:3). Now that same holy, purifying, all-consuming Fire now fills the temple of our hearts with the glory of Your Presence. Through Your Holy Spirit of Christ, now burning in us, our hearts are Your temple, set ablaze with the glory of Your Presence (1 Corinthians 3:16). And no flesh can stand in Your Presence. You are “Christ in (us), the hope of glory;” You are Christ in us, the glory of the Presence of God, burning in us as a Holy Fire by Your Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:27). You are “a consuming Fire,” a Holy Fire first consuming within us all that is not yet like You and then consuming each day all of us that we continue to choose to set apart for You: “Let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming Fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). And this is my desire—that You would consume me in Your Holy Fire. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we had an incredible time of worship, prayer, and ministry this weekend at the Dunham Rose cafe in the village of Dunahm On The Hill outside Chester, England near the border of Wales. It's a place of marketplace ministry and church outside the walls, where prayer and miracles happen all the time in the every day flow of life. We were honored to be there to encourage them and minister with them. And they were so encouraging to us, with astounding prophetic words of what is yet to come on our adventure and Encounter Wales! ministry journey this month. Thank you for praying for all of us. God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

God of the Living, Not the Dead 10-15-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit, and lead me in the ways of Your will for my day. … “Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?... He is God not of the dead, but of the living’” (Mark 12:24-27). Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of the Living God. Give me a deep hunger for Your Word and great expectancy for Your power. Bring the Scriptures alive in my life and bring my life into line with Your Scriptures. Thank You for the principles and inspiration of every encounter and experience of the men and women whose lives are now woven into the Word of God from the past. And thank You for the empowerment and encouragement to encounter and experience You for myself, as You weave the Word of God into my life each day. Your Word says, “Go make disciples of all nations. Go lay your hands on the sick and they shall recover. Go proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Go visit the lonely, clothe the naked, feed the poor, father the fatherless, encourage the discouraged, heal the broken, deliver the captives—all in the power of Your Spirit to the glory of Your name.” Your Spirit says, “Go, let My Word and My power come alive in your life.” You’re not God of the dead, but God of the living. Works without faith is exhausting, but “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So stir in my human spirit with the power and passion of Your Holy Spirit. Awaken me to arise and shine, for my Light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon me, that Your name might be gloried through me (Isaiah 60:1-3). This is the inheritance of Your children and disciples and saints, which each of us are in Christ Jesus our Lord (Colossians 1:12). Give me fresh anointing, fresh faith, fresh fire, fresh power to live out my faithfulness to Your Word in the fullness of Your power every day. Let me never settle for merely a form of godliness, denying Your power or watering down Your Word (2 Timothy 3:5). But in the authority of Your Word and in the power of Your Spirit, let me “live and move and have (my) being” in You (Acts 17:28). “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me” today and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for us on our Encounter Wales! ministry journey praying for revival and awakening in this land. We'll be having time of personal prayer ministry today. Tonight we'll be traveling by train tonight with Heather to Dunham on the Hill, England, just over the Welsh border, to encourage the saints at a Christian cafe business this weekend, where God moves in power of healing and salvation in the marketplace every day. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night October 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Jennifer Warren will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer this month, while I'm away on ministry in Wales. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!a

Not Many Fathers 10-14-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are One and You are holy and I am wholly Yours, by the grace of God, through the blood of the Lamb. … “For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). We had the honor of spending some time at the home of a father in the faith. He’s now ninety years old and they respectfully call him “Uncle Harold.” His mother was saved in the great Welsh Revival, and she imparted that spirit into his heart. And every day, he continues to cry out to God for revival again in this land, praying, like Simeon, to see it come before he dies. He took time to tell us his stories of Your faithfulness and provision through the famines and wars he’s seen and lived through. He took time to sing us some of the songs that You’ve used to stir hearts to salvation through his ministry of worship through the years. And he took time to encourage us and pray for us to carry that trusting faith and revival hope in our hearts as well. But with tears in his eyes, Uncle Harold told us the deepest burden of his heart—the young people. He said the children are the most important thing. We have responsibility to raise them up in the Lord, to pour our hearts into theirs, so they can know You and become all You’ve created them to be. That’s the father heart of God. And that’s still the great need of the hour. In many ways, we are a Father-less generation. We need the Father’s love. We need the Father’s blessing. And as we receive it from You, through the fathers in the faith You bring into our lives, may we be faithful to take time to impart it to the next generation. As Your Word says, this will be one of the great signs of the times before the great revival of souls to come at the end of this age (Malachi 4:5-6). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for praying for us on our Encounter Wales! ministry journey praying for revival and awakening in this land. We'll be ministering at a Christian business today in Wales, at a Christian cafe business just over the border in England this weekend, and divine encounters along the way. Yesterday, we were really inspired and encouraged at the United Christian Broadcasting gathering of leaders in the UK. A leader from Aglow International Ministries asked Heather and Andrea for prayer and she was instantly healed of pain in her jaw! And we are praying for the Lord to use the relationships He formed with others during our day at the UCB studios (www.ucb.co.uk) Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night October 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Jennifer Warren will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer this month, while I'm away on ministry in Wales. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Pure Snow, Pure Hearts 10-12-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. I seek Your face and listen for Your voice. … “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. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). Last night, I had a dream. This morning I can’t remember the details, but the gist of what Your Spirit is bringing to mind is that we were on a journey with the people of Heather’s church in Angelsey where I preached Sunday. It felt like an adventure, like The Lord of the Rings or something. In fact, I had mentioned a scene of courage, tenacity, and perseverance in faith, united in bonds of trust, Sunday morning. In my dream, we were searching for something in the snow. Lord, is there something You’re saying in this dream? … “Snow speaks of pure hearts. Those who seek Me, seek My pure heart. As you seek Me with all your heart, I am changing your heart, purifying your heart, making your heart more like My heart. This is the treasure hidden in the snow. This is the purpose of your journey.” Yes, Lord. I want to be on that journey. I want to join with others on that journey into the snow of a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). I want to see You, encounter You, experience You in every adventure along the journey of my life. I want to ascend to the snowy heights of Your holy Presence by the grace of Your gift, in response to Your call to me and to all who will seek You with all our hearts. “Who will ascend the hill of the Lord? And who will stand in this holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts…. They will receive blessing from the Lord…. Such is the company of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob” (Psalm 24:3-4). There’s a mountain range that stretches across north Wales called Snowdonia, and it’s highest peak is called Mount Snowden. If fact, they say it’s the highest point in all of Wales. It’s the high place of this land. It’s seems to me this is Your declaration of Your will through Your creation for this land—that they would seek the highest place, that they would search for the hidden treasure, that they would set their hope to have Your heart. Thank You for the honor and joy of allowing me to join with them on this journey for these days in this land. And thank You for the honor and joy of joining You on this journey wherever I am and wherever I’ll go. This is the journey of a lifetime for us all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I may not get to send out my prayer in the morning because we catch a 6AM train from Wales to England for a gathering of Christian Broadcasting leaders coming from across the UK. We're excited and honored to be included as Heather Butlers's guests and praying for the Lord's divine encounters. Thank you for praying for us on our Encounter Wales! ministry journey praying for revival and awakening in this land. Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night October 15th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Jennifer Warren will be leading in worship and Linda Dulin will be leading in prayer this month, while I'm away on ministry in Wales. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“The Time of Singing has Come!” 10-11-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are great and mighty, merciful and kind. I honor You and welcome You into my thoughts and desires and every moment of my day. … “My Beloved speaks and says to me: ‘Arise my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land’ ” (Song of Solomon 2:10-12). You are the God who gives us voice to sing Your praise and declare Your goodness. After the Sunday morning message yesterday in Angelsey, Wales, a woman came up for prayer for persistent pain in her throat and damage from many years of smoking cigarettes. She could speak alright, but she hadn’t been able to sing in years, which had been a great passion of her heart. After we prayed, Your Spirit stirred in my heart to ask her to sing. And she did! With each verse, her voice grew stronger! By the time she came to the verse of Your healing power, the whole church was filled with her voice and Your praises! As she cried with tears of thanksgiving for Your mercy and love, she said this was such a wonderful day—not only because of her miraculous healing, but also because her husband had come with her to church for the first time in a long time. She said he wasn’t saved, but she knew he’d heard God’s Word today and it would be a deep seed planted in his heart that would surely grow. I looked and saw him standing at the back of the church and waved him up to us. I asked him if he heard how God healed his wife’s voice. He said yes. Then she said something about him singing with her in the past and how wonderful it would be for them to sing together again. I asked him if he sang, and he didn’t answer. In the convergence of our Welsh and American accents, she thought I was asking him if he was saved and repeated my question to him in her version. So I asked, “Can you sing?” He said, “Yes.” I asked, “Are you saved?” He paused and said, “I think so.” I said, “Well, you can know so. Would you like me to lead you in a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart?” He said, “Yes, I would” and prayed with me. Once again the church was filled with our voices and Your praises! No doubt the angels joined in with their voices and praises as well: “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). They speak of the great revival in Wales in the early 1900’s as “The Singing Revival.” And just before my message, I asked an older man whose mother was saved in that revival and imparted to her son that revival spirit that’s never wavered for all these years to come pray for us to have that spirit. O Lord, You are answering our prayers! You are releasing the spirit of revival in our hearts and in this land and throughout the earth. Heavenly Father, Your Holy Spirit is preparing a holy Bride for the coming of Your Son. Let us be a passionate people, singing You our songs of thanksgiving for Your mercy and love, filling the earth with our voices of Your praises. “The time of singing has come!” (Song of Solomon 2:12) In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer during our time in Wales and England this month for our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. We are encountering and experiencing God among the people in many diverse ways. We're so grateful to Heather Butler and her husband Bob of Hidden Treasures Ministries and Honey From the Rock Healing Rooms of Wales for making the arrangements and provision for us to come and minister and to come and receive of the impartation for revival in the heart of this land to share in ministry to the nations and at home. Our team will travel all over to towns and villages in Wales and to Oxford, Birmingham, and Plymouth England to preach, pray, and love the people of this land, as we share the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. And we're so grateful to you, standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and provision that makes it possible to fulfill the calling and vision of Messiah Ministries at home and abroad, "Preparing the way of the Lord ... Ministering the healing love of God." God bless you, my friend! Wales has deep spiritual roots. The great Welsh Revival in about 1904-1906 swept the nation and in time, impacted the world. It began as a simple time of fervent prayer and testimonies of repentance, led by a young man named Evan Roberts. I'll get to speak and share at Mariah Chapel, his home church where the Revival began humbly; and I'm excited about going to drink deeply from that ancient well of world-changing revival. Many also believe the Welsh Revival was a precursor to the famous Azusa Street Revival in California that ushered in the 20th century Pentecostal movement. Let's pray for revival and awakening in the hearts of the people and in ours. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda back at home, our pastor of prayer ministries, coordinating our prayer team with updates, testimonies, and shared insights from prayer at PrayerLead@aol.com God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“A Different Spirit” 10-8-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Awaken me and anoint me as an ambassador of Your Kingdom today. … “Then the Lord said, ‘I do forgive, just as you have asked; nevertheless, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—none of the people who have seen My glory and the signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tested Me these ten times and have not obeyed My voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their ancestors; none of those who despised Me shall see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it” (Numbers 14:20-24). Caleb had “a different spirit”—different from the world around him, different from his own culture, and even different from his own family. There were a few others like him—Moses, Aaron, Joshua—but not many. His spirit stood out. His spirit rose up. And his spirit set him apart in Your eyes as one of those who would see Your glory, encounter Your Presence, and possess his inheritance—not only for himself, but for all his descendants who would seek and embrace his same spirit. Lord, what was it about Caleb’s spirit that moved Your heart? What was it about Caleb’s spirit that You would instill and impart into my spirit to move my heart? … It seems I hear You say: “My son, Caleb’s spirit was My Spirit. He was hungry for My Spirit to come upon him, for My Spirit to consume him. He sought Me with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. He surrendered all he was and all he had to Me for My purposes through his life. So I gave him eyes to see the land before him that I intended for him to possess. I gave him a boldness to enter in and overcome every obstacle in the wisdom and power that I was ready to provide, as he humbled himself to call on My name. I gave him courage to be fearless in the face of his enemies, trusting Me to scatter them before him. I loved Caleb, and Caleb loved Me.” Yes, Lord. I want to have that spirit. Make me more and more hungry for Your Spirit to consume my spirit. Lead me to seek You with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let me know the depths of Your love for me, the length of Your will for me, and the breadth of Your provision for me. Out of the knowledge of the intimacy of Your steadfast love, Your perfect plans, and Your faithful provision, give me boldness and courage, tempered with humility, to be fearless and faithful to embrace the fullness of my inheritance in You. May it be so for me and my descendants, for me and all those You align with me and who will come along beside me, as I follow where You lead me and go where You send me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be preaching at two churches on the island of Angelsey in north Wales on Sunday. Tonight we'll have another gathering of prayer leaders for revival in the land. The Lord has been moving mightily already in times of personal prayer ministry and our corporate gatherings for prayer with great anticipation and hunger for more of God's Presence. Thank you for standing with us in prayer for Encounter Wales! ministry this month. Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“Making Melody to the Lord in Your Hearts” 10-7-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Majestic and mighty, faithful and true, holy and worthy are You of all of my trust, all that I have, and all that I am. … “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times for and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:15-20). Surrounded by sheep and angels, no doubt, among the stone walls and rolling green hills of the Welsh countryside, we were invited to come out last night for a home gathering of fellowship, Bible study, and prayer. In the joy and peace of the incredible thickness of the Presence of Your Holy Spirit, we worshipped and laughed; we shared stories of our lives and Your faithfulness; we prayed passionately for the burdens on our hearts and for the needs of one another; we encouraged each other with Your Word and bonded with each other in Your Spirit. All the gifts and graces of Your Holy Spirit were flowing freely among us, filling us afresh with Your love and peace and joy, as we praised Your name with our words and our worship, making melody to the Lord in our hearts. It was truly a few hours of heaven on earth, as You poured heaven into our hearts. Throughout our evening, You stirred and moved through first one and then another, as Your Spirit led. It was such a fulfillment of Your Word expressing Your will for our gatherings of worship and fellowship together as the Body of Christ: “What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up…. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and be encouraged” (1 Corinthians 14:26-31). Near the end of our time together, we found ourselves gathered in a circle, hand to hand and heart to heart, praying first in our common language then praying in Your heavenly language, singing first in our common language then singing in Your heavenly language. First the physical, then the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46). You gave us a vision of the light of Your glory, shining as a giant pillar of light, passing from the heavens and through the earth and under the earth. The great pillar of Your light was opening the heavens and displacing the darkness, as the light of Your glory filled the hearts of Your people and shone on this land. Lord, let it be so—in our hearts, in this land, and throughout the earth. “O that You would tear open the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1) As we left—and no one wanted to leave—I asked one of our hosts if this was what it was like in their home group every week. She said, “No, but this is what we’ve always dreamed it could be like!” O Lord, You are on the move, stirring in the hearts of Your people with fresh passion and unhindered freedom in Your Spirit, to encounter and experience Your Presence and power as we have never known. “When You did awesome deeds that we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your Presence” (Isaiah 64:3). And in that freedom of Your Presence, You are making us to be more like You, filling our hearts with more of Your heart, as we lift our eyes to behold Your glory and open our hearts to encounter Your Spirit, together in this kind of worship and prayer: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Keep coming, Holy Spirit, as never before. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. The Holy Spirit is on the move! Today we'll have some personal prayer ministry times. Thank you for helping us in all the ways you join us in fulfilling our calling of "Preparing the way of the Lord ... Ministering the healing love of God" at home and abroad. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com We now have about 210 Prayer Partners on our Team standing with us in prayer and covering us in ministry every day! God bless you!a Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Zacchaeus, the Christian Busnessman 10-6-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are in my heart and I am in Your hands. Live in me and live through me today. … “A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich…. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome Him…. Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today, salvation has come to this house…’ ” (Luke 19:2-9). Zacchaeus was a busnessman. And he was a good one—if “good” means “successful” and “successful” means “rich.” But it seems he was in business for himself, building his own empire by his own means for his own purposes. Then one day he met Jesus, and all of that changed. Things were set right in his heart, and now he couldn’t wait to set things right with others. He no longer saw his possessions as his property to be used for his purposes, but as blessings of God to be used for the purposes of the Kingdom of God. He was now a Christian businessman, with a happy heart, a clear conscience, and a powerful witness of a changed life. Last night, Andrea and I shared our testimonies of our changed lives with the men and women who gathered a hotel meeting of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association of Angelsey in north Wales. And we found, as we always do, that no matter what nation we’re from or what occupation we have, people need Jesus in their hearts. And people need Jesus in their hurts, from living life in a broken, fallen world. As I prayed over the people and Heather sang over the people, Your Holy Spirit moved in a powerful but gentle way among us all, changing hearts and healing hurts. One of the leaders told us with great joy how he’d carried something buried deep down inside his heart for twenty-eight years that You touched and healed last night. Truly his heart, his business, and his ministry to You and to the people of Your Kingdom will never be the same. How You want what happened in his heart for every one of our hearts. Your business is the business of healing hearts and changing lives. And by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit moving in us and moving through us, Your business is our business, wherever You position us for the purposes of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer on our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. Today we'll be praying for the owners and patrons at a Christian business, sharing at a Bible Study and Prayer Meeting tonight, and encountering God in His divine appointments of personal ministry all along the way. Thank you for helping us in all the ways you join us in fulfilling our calling of "Preparing the way of the Lord ... Ministering the healing love of God" at home and abroad. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com We now have about 210 Prayer Partners on our Team standing with us in prayer and covering us in ministry every day! God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Raging Seas and Rugged Beauty 10-5-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You’re my Rock in the midst of the raging sea; You’re my Eye in the middle of the ravaging storm. You’re with me in the morning, with me in the evening, with me always throughout the moments of my day. … “And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuke the winds and sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that event the winds and sea obey Him?’ (Matthew 8:23-27). We never know what each day will hold. We woke and took a walk on a sunny morning, under a cloudless sky. At mid-day we saw the winds begin to stir and the waves of the sea grow choppy and white off the coast of north Wales. But by the time we journeyed to the top of the cliffs to look down to the lighthouse at the edge of the jagged rocks rising up from the sea, we could barely stand in the gusts of wind and tempest of storm. But the high sprays of white water against the rocky cliffs only magnified the rugged beauty of this wild and untamed land. With the raging sea and winds to our faces, but with green meadows, lined with stone walls and dotted with grazing sheep to our backs, it was such a contrast of serenity and calm in the midst of a brewing storm. You’re never surprised by the changes in the weather of our emotions or the gusty storms that come blowing into our lives. And like the cliffs of the rocks, the winds and sea may rage and roar, but You’re never moved, always steadfast and secure, steady and strong. Even the winds and the sea obey Your voice and yield to Your will—yet not before they accomplish Your purpose in us. You use it all; never wasting a moment of our sufferings, a night of our fears, nor a day of our storms to remind us of our desperate need to find our peace and security in You alone. So whether we’re walking through sunny days or hunkering down in windy storms, whether we’re facing the storms of the sea or the serenity of the meadows, You’re always there with us through it all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we had a chance to share and pray with the Israel prayer group on Holyhead Island yesterday and I'll be speaking and ministering with Heather Butler at the Full Gospel Businessmen's Dinner of Angelsey tonight. And in the meantime, we're enjoying time with Bob, Heather, Pedr, and their family in this beautiful country of Wales. Thank you for your prayers for our Encounter Wales! journey through towns and villages in Wales and England this month. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Volunteer Freely to Seek and Rescue 10-4-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Rule and reign in the heavens, on the earth, and here in my heart and life today. … “Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day You lead Your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew Your youth will come to You” (Psalm 110:3). These are the coming days of Your great power on the earth. You are preparing Your people to display Your glory as the mighty forces of the army of the Lord, following the lead of Your command. “In that day of battle, Your people will serve You willingly. Arrayed in holy garments, (their) vigor will be renewed each day like morning dew (v. 110:3, NLT). You will not have to prod them with force nor entice them with pay, for Your people will be stirred in their hearts with such passion and purpose to readily volunteer and offer themselves willingly in the service of our reigning King and “Commander of the Army of the Lord” (Joshua 5:14). We had tea with a young man and his family, just at sunset last night at their home overlooking a beautiful green and stony meadow, running up to the edge of the sea, off the coast of Holyhead Island, Angelsey, North Wales. He’s Heather’s son-in-law, Dafydd, who runs his business to support his family, but his passion is serving as a volunteer lifeboat captain with the sea rescue volunteer forces. These brave men and women are ready and willing, at a moment’s notice, to drop whatever they’re doing to answer the call to duty and respond to someone in distress. No one has to prod them or pay them. They’re prepared and passionate to offer themselves willing and volunteer freely on the day of battle for someone’s life in distress at sea. This is the heart You seek from Your people for this hour. There are many souls, lost at sea, overwhelmed and drowning in a world where all the things they’ve trusted for their safety and security are shipwrecked and shattered. Whether outwardly open in their desperate distress or still inwardly seeking some sense of hope while still hidden and masked by an exterior of pride, they’re crying for help. Whether they’ll admit it or not, they’re longing inside for someone who’ll come to seek and rescue their soul from the distress of life in a broken, fallen world. O Lord, who will hear Your call to be prepared for the day of battle for someone’s soul? Who will volunteer freely to serve You willingly, arrayed in the holiness of Your Spirit and clothed in the power of Your love, to be Your hands of hope and Your words of life? Let me be one. Let me be prepared and passionate to take my place at Your command in the army of the Lord who loves every sinner and lost soul, “not wanting any to perish, but that all to come to repentance” in the safe and mighty arms of the Lord (2 Peter 3:9). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer during our time in Wales and England these next 30 days for our Encounter Wales! ministry trip. I have such a stirring in my spirit that we will encounter and experience God among the people in many diverse ways. Sometimes we'll be ministering in churches, sometimes home churches, sometimes public gatherings, sometimes in marketplace cafes and interesting little encounters and appointments we don't yet have any clue about but God does! I'm so thrilled that Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries invited Andrea Clemons and me to come, and they've made all the arrangements and provision for us to minister the healing love of God in their home nation. Our team will travel all over towns and villages in North Wales and to Oxford, Birmingham, and Plymouth England to preach, pray, and love the people of this land, as we share the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Wales has deep spiritual roots. The great Welsh Revival in about 1904-1906 swept the nation and in time, impacted the world. It began as a simple time of fervent prayer and testimonies of repentance, led by a young man named Evan Roberts. I'll get to speak and share at Mariah Chapel, his home church where the Revival began humbly; and I'm excited about going to drink deeply from that ancient well of world-changing revival. Many also believe the Welsh Revival was a precursor to the famous Azusa Street Revival in California that ushered in the 20th century Pentecostal movement. Let's pray for revival and awakening in the hearts of the people and in ours. If you'd like to be part of our interactive, intercessory prayer team, please send a note to Linda, our pastor of prayer ministries at PrayerLead@aol.com God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“From Place to Place, Proclaiming the Word” 10-1-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. By the blood of the Lamb, I’m a son of God; and in the communion of prayer, I’m a friend of God. My Father and Friend, I thank You for drawing near to me, as I draw near to You. … “Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the Word. Phillip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Phillip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city…. When they believed Phillip, who was proclaiming the Good News about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:4-12). Thank You for the great gift, honor, and opportunity to know the love of God, revealed in Jesus the Christ, and to share the Good News about the Kingdom of God everywhere You send me, proclaiming Your Word in the power of Your Spirit. Awaken within me the faith and passion of Your early Church. But even more, awaken within me the faith and passion Your desire for Your end times Church. May I be part of the Body and Bride of Christ, moving in the nature of Your love and the power of Your Spirit to proclaim Your name and display Your glory throughout the nations of the earth as never seen before. The glory of the latter will be even greater than the glory of the former, as You “fill this house with splendor” and “the treasure of all nations shall come” (Haggai 2:6-9). Your prophecy will be fulfilled that “the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do even greater works than these” (John 14:12). Through Your people, by Your Spirit, You are proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God and demonstrating in the power of God, so that all will come to know You are God and You are great and You love each one of us. You want to forgive us of our sins, heal us of our hurts, free us from our bondage, fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and love us as Your sons and daughters. That’s the Good News that brings great joy to the cities and nations of all who believe. Everywhere we are scattered and everywhere we are sent, let us proclaim with boldness and joy the goodness of God. Today, You’re sending me to the nation of Wales, where our team will travel “from place to place, proclaiming the Word” to the souls who are hungering and thirsting for an encounter with You—whether they know it or not. May there be salvation, healing, and freedom wherever we go because You go with us and Your Spirit is upon us. May You awaken us and awaken Your Bride to arise and shine to be Your Body in this nation and throughout the nations of the earth. “And this Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm leaving today for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. We'll be going "from place to place" in Wales and northern England for thirty days of ministry. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. We can provide you with a Detailed Itinerary and Prayer Guide through Linda, our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, at PrayerLead@aol.com It's your love, support and encouragement that makes this kind of ministry possible! Thank you for joining with us in this ministry of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God everywhere the Lord sends us and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer 9-30-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You each day. … “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:6, NKJV). What happens in our hearts in what is most likely to happen in our lives. What moves our hearts is what will likely move us. Our words and actions are rooted and grounded in our inner beliefs and desires. “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15:18). Of course, we can fake it; we can even try to fool most of the people most of the time, but our truest words and actions are a reflection of our truest thoughts and desires. I had a chance to have lunch and spend some time with a “horse whisperer” yesterday, here with his team in Kentucky for the World Equestrian Games—Dr. Lew Sterrett of Sermon on the Mount Ministries and author of Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer. He uses Biblical principles to train riders and their horses, following Your ancient principles of life that apply to humans, animals, and all of Your creation. With the gifts You’ve given him, he can consistently take a horse that’s never been ridden and have him honestly desiring to obey and please his master in a matter of hours. And as he speaks from the mount of a horse, he teaches Your Word and Your principles of relationship and leadership as he trains a horse to fulfill its purpose and calling. Dr. Lew and his wife Mary were talking with me about the key principle of the heart. We can go through the motions with our actions, but it’s what’s in the heart that matters. If our hearts have been damaged by others, we’re likely to respond to others in damaged ways until our hearts are healed and changed. We can respond to the external pressures and problems of life by what we think the tyranny of the moment demands, but our lives are out of order and inconsistent if our hearts are not in it. “Pressure can always be used to demand change, but unless change comes from the inward desire, the heart, it usually doesn’t last.” Lord Jesus, change my heart. Make it pure and true. Let Your Holy Spirit form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Let me become a son in the nature of my Father. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make me more like You each day. Teach me and train me to respond with confidence and joy to the gentle pressure of Your leading and the consistent whisper of Your voice. Let my words and actions be true because my heart is right. “You desire truth in (my) inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart…. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:6-10). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Jesus the World Equestrian 9-29-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I exalt You, O Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Be lifted up as I bow down to begin my day in worship and prayer with You. … “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name inscribed that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robed dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’” (Revelation 19:11-16). Lord Jesus, You are an equestrian. And one day You’ll return from heaven riding a white horse with all the equestrian armies of heaven following behind You on their white horses. It will be a day of great joy for those who have believed You and trusted You with their lives through the horrendous days of tribulation and persecution of Your faithful ones on the earth. And it will be a day of great judgment for those who rejected Your grace, defamed Your name, and tormented Your people (v. 19:17-21). But every day between this day and that day—“the great and terrible day of the Lord”—Your heart is open wide and Your arms are stretched out farm, for all to come and embrace the grace of Your mercy and love (Malachi 4:1-6). “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 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 earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed” (2 Peter 3:9-10). Your heart is for all, Your mercy and love and grace is for all—for all who would humble themselves to call on Your name and embrace Your as Savior and Lord of all (Acts 2:21). For sixteen days, the World Equestrian Games is being hosted here at the Kentucky Horse Park between Lexington and Georgetown, Kentucky. Riders and owners of some of the world’s most talented horses have come to Kentucky from the nations of the world. Visitors have come from the nations and from across our nation to experience the games and to experience our state. And through Affiliated International Ministries and all of our churches and ministries that have planned and united as the Body of Christ in our city, we are praying that all our visitors will also experience Jesus and the glory of the Presence of God in these days. As they watch the equestrians of the world, may they also see the Equestrian of the World come riding on Your white horse in the mighty rushing wind of Your Holy Spirit into their hearts and ours. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Harvest Season of Joy 9-28-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let my first thoughts be my first fruits of offering to You this day. Let my life be Your living sacrifice, as You guide my thoughts and desires for Your will through me today. … “You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor” (Exodus 23:16). This week is the time of the Jewish harvest festival, in fulfillment of Your call to celebrate the harvest of Your provision for Your people. Many call this “the harvest season of joy,” as what has been sown is now to be reaped. And the first fruits of the grain of the harvest is to be waved before You and offered in joy of Your goodness and faithfulness, Your great mercies and steadfast love. And of course, all the feasts of the Jewish Covenant, as well as all the laws and prophecies of Scripture, find their ultimate fulfillment in Messiah, the Word made flesh (Luke 24:27). Thank You for the seasons of joy. Thank You for gifts of God and the harvests we have because of Your faithfulness for us. All that we have belongs to You, and with all that we have we are to honor You. “Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). I give my life A sacrifice With all that I am And all that I have I give my life to You So come take my heart And come take my soul For all that is good Comes from the hands of God Yes, Lord. That’s my prayer. And that’s my praise, in this season of joy and celebration of Your harvest of my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, thank you for your prayers for Messiah Ministries' financial provision. Thanks to the grace of God and your generosity to stand with us in ministry, we've had the breakthrough we needed. Please pray for a sustained flow of resources for us to continue moving forward with the vision and calling the Lord has entrusted to us--"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God." We couldn't do it without you! I'll be leaving on Friday for our ministry trip to Wales. Heather and Bob Butler of Hidden Treasures Ministries in Wales have invited us and provided for us to preach and pray at revival meetings and prayer gatherings all over the country in our Encounter Wales! revival campaign. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“New Wine” Every Day 9-27-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Father God. Good morning, Holy Spirit. You are One and You are holy. And by the grace of God, I am wholly Yours. … “No one sows a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pull away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16-17). On the day of Pentecost, all Your disciples who had been watching and waiting, hungering and thirsting to see what You would do next in their lives were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). And all the onlookers and naysayers, all the ones who were just happy to stay as they were and just settle for what they had “sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine’ ” (v. 2:13). They supposed Your disciples were drunk, but it was only nine o’clock in the morning. They weren’t consuming new wine; they were being consumed with the Spirit and power of the Presence of God in new way they had never known. Their lives would never be the same. Now every day, we can be embraced by our Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. We can be consumed with the Spirit and power and Presence of God in a new way we’ve never known before. And You want to pour out Your Spirit into the hearts of all who are hungering and thirsting for more of You (v. 2:17). In that sense, every day to be the Day of the Lord. Every day is to be the day of our personal Pentecost. We can never be filled too much and never be filled too often with Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). But the new wine of Your Holy Spirit can’t fill an old wine skin. Every day, I must freshly humble myself with fresh hunger and fresh faith. Every day, I must be ready to be stretched and shaped in my human spirit for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit if I’m to imbibe the new wine You’re ready to pour out into my heart for each new day. Let me never settle for yesterday’s filling of yesterday’s wine. Let me always be excited and expectant to see what You’ll do next with my life. Your mercies are “new every morning” and the outpouring of Your steadfast love never comes to an end (Lamentations 3:22-23). So keep stretching my wine skin and keep filling me with Your new wine, so that every day I can say, “I’ll never be the same.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales, with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Merciful, Mighty God 9-24-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Savior and Lord, mighty and merciful God, keep coming into my heart and into every moment of my day. … Merciful God Mighty are You Magnificent in glory Marvelous and true Merciful God Mighty are You Master of everything Maker of all things new Thank You for this stirring of my spirit in worship and praise, as You write this new song of hope and faith on my heart today. … “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; Him alone shall you worship; to Him you shall hold fast, and by His name you shall swear. His your praise; He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen” (Deuteronomy 10:17-21). You are a great and awesome God, who does great and awesome things. You are merciful and You are mighty. You are always moving in my life, causing all things to work together for good, as You give me grace to entrust all things to You. When I’m tempted to worry, You say, “Trust Me.” When I’m tempted to doubt, You say, “Only believe.” When I’m tempted to fear, You say, “Remember My faithfulness and keep the faith.” Praise You, God. Thank You, Lord. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I love You and trust You with my life today and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, be strengthened in the love and power of our mighty God today, who is faithful and able to provide all we need. He's always working in ways in we don't always see. So as my friend Doris says, "We're going to trust what He says and not what we see." I'm agreeing with God's words of blessing and promise in your life today. Thank you for agreeing for that with me in Jesus' mighty name (Matthew 18:19). God bless you! Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales, with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Mercies from Heaven 9-23-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, lead me beside Your still waters and set my feet in the paths of Your righteousness. … “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You, and You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You rescued them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You were patient with them, and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God—the great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us…. we are in great distress” (Nehemiah 9:28-37). You chose the children of Israel as Your possession and sealed them with Your covenant. You called them to trust You and Your ways, to obey You and Your will. And many times they did. But in Your relationship of love with them that requires the freedom to love You or not, to trust You or not, to obey You or not, they always had the freedom to choose their own way instead of Your way, trusting in themselves instead of trusting in You. And though it would break Your heart, You would allow them the suffer the consequences of their actions and allow them to experience the outcomes of their choices. But even Your judgments were Your mercy, because Your judgments were always intended to lead them to repentance; and repentance always restored them to Your mercy. Whenever they humbled themselves to turn again to You, You heard from heaven and sent Your Word and Your Spirit to rescue them in Your mercy. And lest we become too prideful in our own eyes, looking upon their failures as foolishness in the judgment of our own self-righteousness, Your Word reminds us that all that happened to them are to be examples for us: “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Just as they fell, so are we tempted to fall. Just as they had the freedom to rebel in their stubborn hearts with their stiff necks, insisting upon their own wisdom and relying upon their own strength, so do we. Yet the same God who was unbelievably patient and merciful, keeping covenant and steadfast love with them through all their sins and failures, all their greifs and sorrows, is the same great and awesome God who hears us when we call and delivers us from our distress. You never leave us nor forsake us, even when we deserve it the most. You’re never blind to our hardships nor unmerciful in our sufferings. You are with us through it all, always sending Your Word and Your Spirit to lift our eyes again to heaven and open our hearts again to our Savior. Like the children of Israel, there may be times and seasons of suffering and hardship, but they do not compare with the seasons of joy and peace—sometimes interwoven with those same difficult seasons—as we turn to You and call on Your name, returning to trust in You alone as our Savior. “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43). By the grace of God, let us keep turning to You. Let Your mercies fall from heaven and let our rejoicing rise from our hearts, even heard from far away. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales, with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you! Morning by Morning, Thursday 9-23-10 – Mercies from Heaven Good morning, Lord Jesus. In these first moments of my morning, lead me beside Your still waters and set my feet in the paths of Your righteousness. … “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You, and You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You rescued them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You were patient with them, and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God—the great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love—do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us…. we are in great distress” (Nehemiah 9:28-37). You chose the children of Israel as Your possession and sealed them with Your covenant. You called them to trust You and Your ways, to obey You and Your will. And many times they did. But in Your relationship of love with them that requires the freedom to love You or not, to trust You or not, to obey You or not, they always had the freedom to choose their own way instead of Your way, trusting in themselves instead of trusting in You. And though it would break Your heart, You would allow them the suffer the consequences of their actions and allow them to experience the outcomes of their choices. But even Your judgments were Your mercy, because Your judgments were always intended to lead them to repentance; and repentance always restored them to Your mercy. Whenever they humbled themselves to turn again to You, You heard from heaven and sent Your Word and Your Spirit to rescue them in Your mercy. And lest we become too prideful in our own eyes, looking upon their failures as foolishness in the judgment of our own self-righteousness, Your Word reminds us that all that happened to them are to be examples for us: “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). Just as they fell, so are we tempted to fall. Just as they had the freedom to rebel in their stubborn hearts with their stiff necks, insisting upon their own wisdom and relying upon their own strength, so do we. Yet the same God who was unbelievably patient and merciful, keeping covenant and steadfast love with them through all their sins and failures, all their greifs and sorrows, is the same great and awesome God who hears us when we call and delivers us from our distress. You never leave us nor forsake us, even when we deserve it the most. You’re never blind to our hardships nor unmerciful in our sufferings. You are with us through it all, always sending Your Word and Your Spirit to lift our eyes again to heaven and open our hearts again to our Savior. Like the children of Israel, there may be times and seasons of suffering and hardship, but they do not compare with the seasons of joy and peace—sometimes interwoven with those same difficult seasons—as we turn to You and call on Your name, returning to trust in You alone as our Savior. “They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (Nehemiah 12:43). By the grace of God, let us keep turning to You. Let Your mercies fall from heaven and let our rejoicing rise from our hearts, even heard from far away. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales, with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

Even if it Costs Our Lives 9-22-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait upon You, align me with Your will and empower me for Your purposes. … “The the Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the priest and said to them, ‘Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’ But they conspired against him, and by command of the king, they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). Zechariah was brave and bold, faithful to the Word of God and obedient to the Spirit of God. He didn’t hold back from speaking the words that burned in his heart and burdened his soul, as Your Holy Spirit took possession of his human spirit. But he was speaking the truth to the leaders of his nation who had turned their backs on God and turned to worship the idols they had created with their own hands for their own purposes. And there were suffering the consequences for their actions that affected all the people of their land (v. 24:18). Yet even then, You kept sending Your prophets and sending Your word to turn their hearts back to You, so that they could enter again into the place of Your blessings and fulfill Your purposes for their nation. But “they would not listen” (v. 24:19). And Zehcariah’s political incorrectness and spiritual independence in faithful obedience they would not abide. So they stoned him to death to silence his voice. They did the same to Stephen (Acts 7:59). They did the same to Paul (Acts 14:19). And they’ll do the same to the two witnesses of God at the end of this age who will boldly proclaim the truth in the face of the unrighteous government that will rule the nations of the earth (Revelation 11:7). They did the same to Your faithful witnesses just as they did the same to You, mocking the words of Your truth and nailing Your hands to the cross. The pride of man cannot abide the Word of God and the rulers of this world cannot bear to bow their knees to the will of God. Yet You keep loving us enough to keep sending Your Spirit and sending Your Word. You love us enough to keep allowing us to suffer the consequences of our actions to lead us to humble our hearts and bow our knees and trust in Your ways. You want us to prosper and fulfill our purpose for our generation. So whether we’re the ones You’ve sent to speak or whether we’re the ones You’ve called to hear, let us turn away from the idols of our own creation and turn our hearts back to You. Let us be brave and bold to speak the truth of Your Word and live in the power of Your Spirit—even if it costs us our lives. As You said long ago in warning every generation of the high cost of our discipleship in the face of whatever persecutions many come: “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciples to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household?” (Matthew 10:24-25) So let us not fear, but let us be found faithful to You, our teacher and master, in all the power of Your grace You’ll be faithful to supply. Let us be bold and brave to keep bowing our knees and lifting our hearts to You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!

“The Lamp of the Lord” 9-21-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings, Lord of lords, be King of my heart and Lord of my life. Come rule and reign in me today. … “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, searching every inmost part” (Proverbs 20:27). Lord, let my human spirit be in communion with Your Holy Spirit. Let the light of the glory of Your manifest Presence burn within me like a lamp. Let deep call unto deep, as my spirit calls unto Your Spirit (Psalm 42:8). Form Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Search my inmost parts to reveal everything in me that is not yet like You, and give me the courage and humility to entrust that part and every part of my life to Your care. Make me one with Your will and one with Your way, as You alone become Lord of all of my life. Stir in my heart to be united with Your heart, for “anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). I confess I have far to go. “There is no one who is righteous, not even one.… since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10-33). But I also declare that it is my heart’s desire to get there—all by Your grace, all in Your time, all in Your way—because I’ve come to trust You to know best for my life. So in these first moments of my morning, let Your Holy Spirit come ignite the lamp of my heart to burn with Your light throughout my day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!