Both Blameless and Barren? Dec 9, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As best as I can and all by Your grace, help me begin this day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.  …

“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendent of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years” (Luke 1:5-7).

Is it possible to be both blameless and barren? Is it possible to be righteous before God, to know all the right things and do them, according to all the rules, commandments, and regulations of the Lord and still be lacking the longing of your heart? Can bad things happen to good people? Can hard times and tough seasons, deferred hope and shattered dreams, unfulfilled expectations and discouraging disappointments touch the lives of those who love God and are called according to Your purposes?

Look at Zechariah and Elizabeth. They loved You; they lived for You and lived blamelessly before You. They were created and called by You with tremendous purpose and calling and destiny—they would be the earthly father and mother of John the Baptist, who would prepare the way of the Lord in the spirit of Elijah for the coming of Christ. Yet, they suffered sadness and maybe even sensed a measure of rejection and confusion about Your promises and provision for abundance and blessing in their lives. They were getting on in years, yet the hopes and dreams of their hearts were still unfulfilled.

And even if the season of barrenness would be broken and the birth of a miracle child was to come, what of all the years before? What of all the tears before? What of all the questions and struggles in their hearts, and what of all the questions and judgments of their neighbors and s0-called friends through all the days of their journey of faith until the day of rejoicing when the miracles and power and provision of God was to come?

No wonder Zechariah had a few questions and even a bit of an attitude with the angel of the Lord when the glorious promises and breakthroughs of God were announced (v. 1:18). No doubt Elizabeth must have had a few questions of her own. Yet Your Word went forth and the miracle child was conceived (v. 1:24). Years of disappointment, seasons of enduring disapproval and doubts of others, and decades of being tempted to settle for something less than the fullness of the desires of their hearts were wiped away in a moment. Elizabeth embraced the gift and grace of the miracle of God in her womb, declaring to heaven and to anyone who would hear, “This is what the Lord has done for me when He looked favorable on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people!” (v. 1:25)

You are the God who says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act” (Psalm 37:3-5). We’re not responsible for the results or the timing. All of that is in Your hands. Our part is to keep on trusting, keep on doing good,  keep on committing our way to the Lord—as best as we can and all by the mercy and power of Your grace. And good things will come, our purpose and calling in our lives will be fulfilled, and there will be great days of “joy and gladness” with rejoicing in our hearts and all around us on the day when You act—all in Your time and all in Your way (Luke 1:14). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend with me in the journey of faith and prayer, I am praying for you right now for breakthrough in all your unfulfilled hopes and desires. I'm rejoicing with you in the Spirit now for the day that will come when joy and gladness fill your heart and the promises and provision of God overtake your life. May discouragement, disappointment, and doubt flee away, as persevering faith and enduring hope fill your spirit as we agree in prayer in the name of Jesus. Thank you for praying the same for me. God bless you and thank you for joining with me in the journey!

Friends, please keep Messiah Ministries in mind during your year-end giving. We're grateful for God's provision through the hearts He moves to join with us in prayer and provision to fulfill our vision and calling -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions of any amount to "Messiah Ministries" by mail at 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 or on-line at www.messiah-ministries.org or by credit card over the phone at 859-317-1591 or through the Kentucky Christian Foundation at http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ I'll be happy to talk with you about our vision, our calling, and our needs:  tommyhays@aol.com  Please give generously and joyfully as the Lord may lead!

Thank you and God bless you!

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Special Music with Paula Stefanovich!  

( http://www.omegachristianmusic.com/ )

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Jesus Messiah, the Salvation of God - Dec 8, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I wait on You and watch for You and welcome You into my morning and into the moments of my day.  …

“She will bear a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Sometimes we forget the simple focus of why You came to this earth, to be born as a child and live among us as a man. Sometimes we forget the simple idea that You were given a name that reflected Your nature and identified Your purpose. You were named Jesus, Yashuah in the Hebrew language of Your earthly language and culture. And Your name means the Salvation of God. You came to save Your people from our sins. You were Emmanuel, God with us, making a way for us to be with God.

Everyone sins. And everyone needs forgiveness. Everyone needs the salvation of God. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all sin. Whether it’s the sin of falling short of Your perfect will in some way, whether we meant to or not, or whether it’s the sin of deliberately choosing our own way in conscious rebellion against Your way, sin is less than Your will for our lives. And sin separates us from the fullness of Your Presence in our lives.

And down inside, whether we’re willing to admit it or not, we know in our hearts when we have sinned. We can try to rationalize it, justify it, excuse it, explain it, deny it, or even glorify it, but deep down inside, in the conscience of our human spirit You’ve created within us all, we know it. And You know it. But deep down inside Your heart, full of the mercy and love of Your nature, You’re always reaching out to us, revealing our sin to us, so that You can forgive us and be with us, with nothing separating us. This is the heart of Emmanuel, the Presence of God with us. This is the heart of Yashuah, Jesus the Messiah, the Salvation of God for us.

Thank You, Lord God, for humbling Yourself to come to this earth as a child, to live on this earth as a man, so that through Your life and death and resurrection, You could save me from my sins. Through Your forgiveness, through the means of salvation You have chosen in Your wisdom and sovereignty as my Creator and Savior, You can always be with me and I can always be with You. You are my Emmanuel, my Yashuah, my Jesus the Messiah, my Salvation of God. And I’m so grateful for all Your mercy and love for me and for all You came to save from our sins. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Friends, please keep Messiah Ministries in mind during your year-end giving. We're grateful for God's provision through the hearts He moves to join with us in prayer and provision to fulfill our vision and calling -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God."

We welcome your tax-deductible contributions of any amount to "Messiah Ministries" by mail at 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 or on-line at www.messiah-ministries.org or by credit card over the phone at 859-317-1591 or through the Kentucky Christian Foundation at http://www.kentuckychristianfoundation.org/ I'll be happy to talk with you about our vision, our calling, and our needs:  tommyhays@aol.com  Please give generously and joyfully as the Lord may lead!

Thank you and God bless you!

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Special Music with Paula Stefanovich!  

( http://www.omegachristianmusic.com/ )

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Overshadowed and Empowered by the Holy Spirit - Dec 7, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and open up my heart to welcome You in to every moment of my day.  …

“The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God’ ” (Luke 1:35).

When Your Holy Spirit comes upon us, the power of the Most High overshadows us. When the power of the Most High overshadows us, Your holy purposes are birthed and empowered within us. The purposes of God through the lives of the sons and daughters of God are performed by the Spirit of God moving upon us and stirring within us in the power of God. As You said to Your first disciples, so You continue to speak to all Your disciples:  “See, I am sending upon you what My Father has promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Lord, I need to be empowered with Your Holy Spirit every moment of every day. I need the power of the Most High to overshadow me and overwhelm me with Your word and Your will for my life, to clothe me and anoint me with Your Spirit of Life and Truth to be Your witness in my world. Come, Holy Spirit—You are the promise of my Father; You are the Spirit of Christ in me, forming the nature of Christ within me, equipping and empowering the ministry of Christ through me. This is the blessing, the calling, and the promise of all the sons and daughters of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Reply to Tommy Hays:  tommyhays@aol.com

Subscribe for Prayer:     www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

“Do Not be Afraid” - Dec 3, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit in the silence of surrender, deep in the communion of prayer.  …

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God’” (Luke 1:30).

For several days now, Your Holy Spirit keeps drawing me back to this spiritual encounter between the angel Gabriel and Mary. I find myself wondering if this angel just showed up one day just out of the blue. And I’m sure that’s possible. You are the God who often does “awesome deeds we did not expect” (Isaiah 64:3). You are the sovereign Lord, ultimately holding all timing of all things in Your hands. And Your Word doesn’t really tell us anything in Mary’s life that may have led up to this life-changing, spiritual experience.

But I find myself wondering this morning about Mary’s prayer life. Was she a seeker? Was she a “God chaser?” Was she one who hungered and thirsted for more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your love, more of Your power in every moment of her life? I find myself this morning with an image in my mind of a young woman with a very deep and passionate prayer life. I can almost hear her prayers:  “O God, how long must my people continue to suffer? When will You fulfill Your Word and send Your Messiah, our Deliverer, our Savior? O Lord, how long must I wait to know my purpose in this world? When will Your fulfill Your Word to me that You know the plans You have for me—plans for my good and not my harm, plans for a future with hope, to fulfill this sense of destiny in my soul that I was created for more? I’m thankful for all You’ve done and all that You are in my life, but I want more—more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your love, more of Your power—here in my life, here among my people, here in my land!”

Was Mary an intercessor? Was she a watchman on the wall of her city? Was she one who was often accused of being so heavenly minded that she was hardly any earthly good? Was she a passionate pursuer of the things of God? Was she created for destiny, yearning for destiny, being prepared in her spirit and heart for destiny, or did she just look up one day to find an angel standing in her bedroom to inform her that destiny was now thrust upon her?

I don’t know. I don’t know whether that day came unexpectedly and all of a sudden or whether that day was the next step in the course of her spiritual journey and the unfolding of Your plan for her life. But what I do know is that when that day came, Mary was “afraid” (v. 1:30). We better be careful what we ask for, what we pray for, because we might get it. We better be careful when we pray for visitations from angels, they might come. We better be careful when we ask to hear the word of the Lord for our lives, we might hear it. We better be careful when we say in our hearts we’d be willing to do anything , to go any place, to suffer any price—You might ask it of us. That might be the destiny we find thrust upon us.

But even when that day comes, and even if we are afraid at first, You will be there with us. You will be quick and ready to say, “Fear not. Do not be afraid. For I am with you. I will not send you where My grace will not sustain you. I will not call you to My purpose without supplying for you My provision. You’ve prepared the way of the Lord in your heart and I have prepared the way of the Lord in your life. Don’t be afraid. Don’t turn away. Don’t hold back. Just find the courage and faith in your heart by My grace to say, ‘Yes, Lord. Here I am, the servant  of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word’ ” (v. 1:38).

So with Mary and with all those throughout the ages who have journeyed in faith and prayer, passionately pursuing Your purpose and plan for our lives, I say by Your grace, “Yes, Lord. Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to Your word.” By the power of Your grace, I will not be afraid. By the power of Your grace, I will trust You and obey Your calling and destiny for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Reply to Tommy Hays:  TommyHays@aol.com 

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries:  www.messiah-ministries.org

 

Favored Ones, Faithful Ones - Dec. 2, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of heaven and earth, by Lord of my steps and my decisions throughout my day.  ...

 

"And (the angel Gabriel) came to (Mary) and said, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:28-35).

 

Mary was "much perplexed" by the word of God's will for her life. "How can this be?" "This doesn't make sense?" "Are you sure?" "How can I be sure?" Before Mary could come to place of saying, "Let it be with me according to your word," she first had a few questions to ask (v. 1:38). She first had to wrestle with this word, seek to discern it's accuracy, it's meaning, it's implications for her life. Yet there was something in her heart that moved her to trust that You had a plan for her life that was far different from the plans she had thought and the plans she had made.

 

Through the angel, You called her, "favored one." You said she had "found favor with God." Yet her "favor" didn't really seem like You were doing her any "favors" at all. She was to be a pregnant teenager. She was to be a virgin with child. She was to be faithful to a word from the Lord that would be very contrary to the normal ways and expectations of the people she valued and trusted in her life. Lord, could You have been any more divisive? Could You have been any more scandalous? Could You have been any more challenging to the attitudes, wisdom, doctrines, and traditions of the religious law and culture it seems You established?

 

Mary's own beloved and betrothed, Joseph, to whom she was deeply committed and willing to trust with the rest of her life, would reject her at first. He couldn't bring himself to believe her--out of his own thoughts apart from Your thoughts, out of his own ways apart from Your ways--until he, too, would hear the word of the Lord for himself (Matthew 1:19-25). He would have to come to a place to trust that Mary didn't choose this path out of her own will or imagination. He would have to come to believe that the course for Mary's life was being set, in part, by circumstances beyond her control, but that God was in it. It was as much a challenge to Joseph's faith as it was to Mary's. Yet in time, they both chose to trust and obey, despite the high cost they would pay in facing the judgments and opinions of those they trusted and loved, who would find their faith and passion for faithfulness hard to believe.

 

Lord, so often, Your thought are not our thoughts and Your ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). You call us to seek You every moment of every day. You call us to listen for the leading of Your voice, saying, "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). The children of God are to be led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). And so often, we feel we have to explain it, justify it, defend it, call our witnesses to support it. When really, we just need to know that as best as can and all by Your grace, we have sought You, trusting You to put Your thoughts in our minds and Your desires in our hearts to guide the steps of our days according to Your plan for our lives.

 

There will be other plans and other lives that will be factors and influences beyond our control, but we can't live our lives under the worry and fear about that or the judgments and opinions of those who can't fully know our hearts and haven't ever had to walk in our shoes. So there are times when it's better to remain silent, to let You be our Advocate, trusting that somehow in Your timing, Your way, and Your mercy, You are at work, causing all things to work together for good according to Your purposes and plans for our lives, as we choose to keep loving You and trusting You--moment by moment, morning by morning, one day at a time.

 

Sometimes, we'll get it wrong. Sometimes, we'll do it wrongly. "None are righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). So we all need Your mercy and grace to redeem the brokenness and failures of our lives. And we all need faith and hope and love to keep seeking You, listening for You, trusting and obeying You, as best as we can and all by Your grace. And I believe that if we do, no matter what, no matter whose fault or failure, You're still God and You still have a plan and a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

 

Maybe the favored ones are the faithful ones. I don't mean faithful to always be right, to always be righteous or self-righteous, for none of us can be, but to be faithful to keeping seeking You to lead us and redeem us, to make beauty out of our ashes, to trust You to keep giving us hope with a future, bringing the fullness of salvation to ourselves and to others even out of the sinfulness and brokenness of our lives.  After all, it's only those who are forgiven much who can truly love much (Luke 7:47). And I want to spend my life loving much. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

 

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays   

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries ...

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God's glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision--

"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God"

 

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting               859-317-1591      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

www.messiah-ministries.org

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

 

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries
"Preparing the Way of the Lord
... Ministering the Healing Love of God"
2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY 40502, USA
www.messiah-ministries.org

“With Child from the Holy Spirit” - November 30, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Savior, Messiah, Master, and King—You are One with the Father and One with the Holy Spirit. And in the mystery of Your mercy and grace, You desire to be one with me and all who seek You and wait upon You in the communion of prayer. So I seek You and I wait upon You, as I begin this day in the communion of prayer with You.  …

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).

Holy Spirit of the Living God, You birth all good things. You fulfill the promises of God. You form them and shape them in the womb of the spirit of those who are willing to trust You and obey You. You watch over them to prepare them and mature them to come forth in Your perfect timing and in Your perfect way.

What do You desire to birth in me? What do You desire to bring forth through my life? What have You already spoken into existence that’s already being formed and shaped, awaiting Your timing and Your way?

Give me faith to trust You and courage to obey You. Give me patience to wait on You and wisdom to yield to You. As best as I can and all by Your grace, I make myself completely available to You. Come, Holy Spirit. Prepare the way of the Lord in and through my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays    

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries …

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God’s glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision—

“Preparing the Way of the Lord … Ministering the Healing Love of God”

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

Christmas Party Dec 10th! w/ Messiah Ministries & Tommy Hays

Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries …

Come Join Us Friday Night, December 10^th!

Messiah Ministries Christmas Party

Come for an evening of fellowship & refreshments, worship, and hearing stories of God’s glory and all He is doing through Messiah Ministries at home and abroad. Come and bring friends to learn more about our ministry and join in prayer and provision for our calling and vision—

“Preparing the Way of the Lord … Ministering the Healing Love of God”

6:30 in the Chapel & Foyer at Centenary UMC

2800 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington

Please RSVP to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591

www.messiah-ministries.org

God bless you and Merry Christmas from all of us at Messiah Ministries!

--Tommy Hays, Founder & Spiritual Director

Subscribe to our Events Calendar & Newsletter or

Tommy's Daily Prayer Devotional, Morning by Morning

at our New Web Site:  www.messiah-ministries.org

“Jesus the Messiah” - November 29, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close, as I begin this day walking with You in the journey of prayer. …


“An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers … and Jesse the father of King David … and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:1-16).


We begin the season of anticipation for the birth of Christ, “Jesus the Messiah.” You are the holy and anointed One of God—“Christ” in the Greek language, “Messiah” in the Hebrew language. You are the Savior for everyone of every language. You are “the desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7, KJV). And with great anticipation, we’re moved in this season to join again in a spiritual journey to make preparation in our hearts for the coming of our Savior.


Jesus, Savior, Messiah
Jesus, Master and King
Jesus, we make room in our hearts
For Your coming again
O, for Your coming again


Yes, Lord. Let this new song of Your Spirit be my song of this season. Come again in my life in a new way, a deeper way, every morning of every day. Let all my life be the season of anticipation, longing for Your continual coming and abiding in my heart of my Savior, Messiah, Master, and King. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

To Reply to Tommy Hays: TommyHays@aol.com
To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries: www.messiah-ministries.org

Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com

Spirit of Thanksgiving - November 26, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Steadfast and true, faithful are You. …

“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Many find it hard to find joy in this hard season of so much joblessness, disappointment, and struggle on so many levels. Yet, they choose to thank You. Yet, they choose to rejoice in You. Yet, they choose to praise You through the problems, to hang on to hope, to look up to the heavens, to press on through the darkness, straining toward the light of morning’s dawn. And these are the ones who grow from strength to strength, as You train their feet of faith to walk in grace upon the heights of these hard times.

A friend sent me a powerful quote of the Pilgrim’s faith: “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts … nevertheless, they set aside a day of thanksgiving” — H. W. Westermeyer. That kind of faith is a part of our heritage, as a nation and as the people of God—a people who are resilient, tenacious, persevering, full of faith and fight to hold on to hope, trusting in our God to bring us through. You are the God who keeps speaking to our spirit through every struggle we face, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you will not be burned, and the flame will not consume you …. Do not fear for I Am with you” (Isaiah 43:1-5).



Thank You for the gift of the spirit of thanksgiving—the gift of the grace to keep thanking You, praising You through all we endure. Like Job said with a declaration of faith and hope in the midst of his struggles, “Yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). Thank You for the inspiration of all who choose to set aside a day of thanksgiving through this hard season and who live out the spirit of thanksgiving through every season in their hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays



To Reply to Tommy Hays: TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries: www.messiah-ministries.org



Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com

Pilgrims’ Journey of Faith - November 25, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All heaven and earth adore You and bow down before You. We are grateful for Your goodness and amazed by Your mercy on this day of Thanksgiving and joy. …

“(The faithful saints of God who have gone before us) all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16, NKJV).

The first Thanksgiving that we celebrate as a nation every year was at the Plymouth Colony on the shores of Massachusetts in 1621. The settlers from England, seeking religious freedom and a form of government based upon the Christian principles of the Word of God, were called “Pilgrims.” William Bradford, writing their journal that’s become American history, named them “Pilgrims” from this passage of Scripture from the Letter to the Hebrews on enduring hope and preserving faith in Jesus Christ.



On November 9, 1620, they arrived by sea on the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Aboard ship, they agreed among themselves to a form of democratic government, founded upon Christian values, they called the Mayflower Compact—in many ways, many would say, a forerunner to the United States Constitution. But in the midst of the harsh elements of a challenging new world, only half would survive the first winter to be present at that first Thanksgiving.



Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag Indian tribe befriended William Bradford; and their people lived together in peace as long as the two men were alive. The Indians Squanto and Samoset taught the Pilgrims how to work the land and where to fish, that gave their new friends wisdom to survive in this new country they would call their homeland. And though they had suffered the loss of so much, and though their hearts must have been heavy with a sense of loss for all who were no longer with them to celebrate a year of life in this new world, they gave You thanks and praise. They chose not to linger on their disappointments, commensurate in their failures, but to celebrate with Thanksgiving a future with hope.





“Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Like the Pilgrims, I want to give You thanks and praise, my God and King. One day I will journey to that heavenly country, but today I am a pilgrim on this earth. And no matter what harsh elements and challenges I may face in this world, I will remember that You are with me and I will remember to celebrate with Thanksgiving that You have given me a future with hope in Jesus Christ, my Lord. Thank You for all the friends and the family of faith that join me in this journey through this earthly country on my way Home. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.



Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays



To Reply to Tommy Hays: TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries: www.messiah-ministries.org



Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com

“Wells of Salvation” November 24, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me up in the spirit into the communion of prayer. …

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; He has become my salvation. With joy you will draw waters from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His deeds among the nations; proclaim that His name is exalted!” (Isaiah 12:3-4).

When I come to You in the communion of prayer each morning, I draw water from Your well of salvation. When I’m thirsting and hungering, yearning for Your Holy Spirit to abide deeply within my human spirit, I draw water from Your wells of salvation. When I’m tired or weary, when I’m discouraged or troubled, when I’m lonely or afraid, and call on Your name, I draw water from Your wells of salvation. And when I praise You before the answers come, when I thank You for all You’ve done, when I proclaim You as the mighty and faithful One, I draw waters from Your wells of salvation.


Your wells are deep. And Your waters are pure. And they are open to me every moment of every day, as I stop and take the time to bow down and reach in with the bucket of my heart. Like a bucket thrust into the waters of a well, Your living waters come pouring into my heart as You draw You near to drink deeply of Your Word and Spirit of Life. I never need to thirst again. As You have said, “Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:14).


Thank You for Your wells of salvation—not just available one day at one time in one prayer of the surrender of life to You as Savior and Lord. But Your wells of salvation are available to me every moment of every day, as You keep on saving me, keep on filling me, keep on gushing up and flowing out of me (John 7:38). Your wells never run dry. And in the fullness of Your salvation—every moment of every day—is the fullness of life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays



To Reply to Tommy Hays: TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries: www.messiah-ministries.org



Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com

Thank You, Faithful God and Friend - November 23, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I thank You for first loving me. And I thank You for persisting in loving me. Your steadfast love endures forever. …

“Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said, ‘Blessed are, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all! Riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might; and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, O God, we give thanks to You and praise Your glorious name! (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

Thank You for Your glory
Thank You for Your story
Thank You for every day and every way
You‘ve always been my Faithful God and Friend

Thank You for Your power
Thank You for Your strong tower
Thank You for every day and every way
You‘ve always been my Faithful God and Friend

Thank You for Your mercy
Thank You for Your parted seas
Thank You for every day and every way
You‘ve always been my Faithful God and Friend

Thank You for Your kindness
Thank You for Your brightness
Thank You for every day and every way
You‘ve always been my Faithful God and Friend

O I thank You, Lord
O I praise You, Lord
From beginning to end
Through thick and through thin
You’ve always been my Faithful God and Friend


Thank You, Holy Spirit, for stirring in my human spirit these new words of this new song of thanksgiving and praise. In the spirit of thanksgiving, I worship and honor You; I love and adore You. In the power and might of Your love, You forgive and heal and free; You establish and secure and strengthen; You persist and provide and protect. You are a Faithful God and a Faithful Friend (John 15:15). And I thank You, Lord, for all that I have with all that I am. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.



Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays



To Reply to Tommy Hays: TommyHays@aol.com

To Subscribe or Contribute to Messiah Ministries: www.messiah-ministries.org



Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com

Unrestrained and Unashamed -- November 22, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of my thoughts, my desires, and my day. ... "So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.... David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet" (2 Samuel 6:12-15). The ark of the Lord speaks of the Presence of the Lord. And David was passionately, jealously desperate for Your Presence. On the day he had the priests bring the ark of Your Presence to the city that would become the spiritual center of Israel and all the earth, at Mount Zion in Jerusalem, his heart was filled with joy. And his spirit was filled with freedom, as he danced in worship before You unrestrained and unashamed. I believe his joy was an expression of Your joy, that things were being set right and aligned in his heart and his nation according to Your plans and purposes. "The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" (Psalm 50:1-2). David cried out in his psalms his passion to obey the stirring in his spirit to obey the summoning of Your Spirit to establish the place of Your Presence on the earth: "I will not enter my house or get into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.... Rise up, O Lord, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness and Your faithful shout for joy!" (Psalm 132:3-9) And on the day of his fulfillment of Your desires, he could not contain himself and restrain his joy. How You must have smiled from heaven at the heart of the "man after (God's) own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). Not everyone shared his passion. Not everyone celebrated his freedom of expression and overflowing of joy it the glory of Your Presence (2 Samuel 6:16). They despised him and accused him of dishonoring You and Your people by his actions they couldn't understand (v. 6:20). But David wouldn't back down, because he knew in his heart he had sought Your face and obeyed Your voice to fulfill Your purpose (v. 6:21-22). His joyful, passionate obedience--unrestrained and unashamed--brought honor, not dishonor, to Your name and to Your servant in the eyes of those who saw his heart (v. 6:22). Lord, give me a fearless passion to passionately pursue Your Presence and seek to obey Your voice with all my might. Let me be compassionate and considerate of the feelings and opinions of others, but unashamed and unrestrained in my sense of obedience and faithfulness to You. Let me know the freedom and joy of serving You with joyful obedience, as You align my heart and set all things right for Your purposes in and through my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays TommyHays@aol.com Friends, please Save the Date of December 10th for our Messiah Ministries' Celebration and Christmas Party! We'll share stories of God's glory and all He has been doing at home and abroad in the life of our ministry. Please come join us in Lexington and bring some friends to know more about Messiah Ministries. Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington, KY 40502, USA www.messiah-ministries.org

The Father’s Best -- Nov 19, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be exalted in my praises and in my heart, as I begin my day with You—embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. … “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, ‘Put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but will go to my country and to my kindred and get a wife for my son Isaac…. (The Lord) will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there’” (Genesis 24:1-7). Like Abraham, I want to live my life in faith—seeking You, listening for You, trusting in You in all things. And though there will be many heartaches and sorrows, mingled with many celebrations and joy along the journey, as with Abraham, I want to be able to look back, when I’m old and well advanced in years to see the mark of Your Presence and the hand of Your blessing in all things. The “blessing of Abraham” flows out of the faith of Abraham—the faith of one who trusts in God with all his heart throughout all his life, as best as he can and all by Your grace (Galatians 3:14). In Abraham’s journey of faith, You formed the Father heart of God in his heart. And out of his father heart, he wanted the best for his son, Isaac. He wanted a bride for his son who was chosen by God (Genesis 24:7). He wanted a bride for his son who was uncompromising and undefiled by the culture around him (v. 24:3). And he wanted a bride for his son who would love him and respect him, celebrating the joys of life with him, but also faithfully willing to stand by him and comfort him through all the times of heartaches and sorrows as well (v. 24:67). And as Abraham was a father, sending his servant to bring the best bride to his son, so the Father has sent the Holy Spirit to prepare the best bride for His Son (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:7 and 22:17). That’s the Father heart of God. The Father wants the best for His Son. And the Father wants the best for His sons and daughters. Thank You, Father, for wanting Your best for me. Thank You, Father, for sending Your Holy Spirit to find the one You’ve chosen for me—one with Your heart, led by Your Spirit, filled with Your love—to walk in the journey with me. And in You, I am blessed with all the blessing of Abraham and all the blessing of Isaac. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17, NKJV). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays TommyHays@aol.com Friends, please Save the Date of December 10th for our Messiah Ministries' Celebration and Christmas Party! We'll share stories of God's glory and all He has been doing at home and abroad in the life of our ministry. Please come join us in Lexington and bring some friends to know more about Messiah Ministries --"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God!" Please pray for us and join us if you can, as I lead a Spiritual Renewal & Healing Prayer Conference this weekend at St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Weston, West Virginia, hosted by the District Prayer Team and local UM churches( www.stmatthewweston.com ) Friday Night Meeting at 7 PM and Brokenness to Breakthrough Conference on Saturday 9 AM to 3 PM. All are welcome! Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Nov 19th 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. Jeff Green will be leading in worship this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Please Visit our New Web Site at www.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries ... "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org MessiahMin@aol.com

God Loves to “Give Good Gifts” Nov 18, 2010

Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of my heart and thoughts, my choices and actions, my words and will, now and throughout my day. … “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” (Mark 7:7-11) O Lord, my God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—You are my Father in heaven; You are my Best Friend on earth. You’re my Constant Companion, my Closest Comforter, my Steadfast Supporter. You’re more than the most perfect father or mother, more than the most unfailing, faithful friend. You know everything about me; and yet, You still love me, You’re still for me, You still want the very best for me. What a great and awesome God You are! And it’s astounding to me that one of Your ways of expressing Your faithfulness and love is to “give good gifts” to Your children. You know every need—to be safe and secure, to have protection and provision, to be challenged and fulfilled in our purpose, calling, and destiny, to be encouraged and loved, to share that encouragement and love with others, and everything else we don’t even know we need. And then You lead us to ask. There’s something in the humility of asking, something in the faith of expecting, something in the desperation of needing that seems to be important in our spiritual development and maturity. Just as there’s something important in the celebration, thanksgiving, and joy of receiving the good gifts that shower our lives every day from our Father in heaven who loves to give good gifts to His children. I admit there are things I’ve asked for that it doesn’t yet seem like I’ve received; there are things I’ve searched for that it doesn’t yet seem like I’ve found; and there are doors I’ve knocked on that it doesn’t yet seem like have opened. So as You move in my heart to persist in prayer for those things, I’ll keep on asking, keep on searching, keep on knocking. But at the same time, I want to praise Your holy name for every awesome and amazing gift You’ve already poured into my life by Your grace! I want to be one who’s so much more focused on praising You for all You’ve done, instead of complaining for all I think You haven’t. I want to be one who’s so much more full of joy and thanksgiving for all You’ve given that I could never deserve, instead of letting any sense of my unworthiness steal a moment of the joy or any measure of the abundance of Your blessings You choose to shower down on my life. You love to give good gifts to Your children. And I believe You love for Your children to joyfully, gratefully, unashamedly receive them. And so by the grace of God, I do. Thank You! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Save the Date of December 10th for our Messiah Ministries' Celebration and Christmas Party! We'll share stories of God's glory and all He has been doing at home and abroad in the life of our ministry. Please come join us in Lexington and bring some friends to know more about Messiah Ministries --"Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God!" Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night Nov 19th 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. Jeff Green will be leading in worship this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Dear Friends of Tommy Hays & Messiah Ministries, We are changing email servers for Morning by Morning, my daily prayer devotional. To continue receiving Morning by Morning, please fill in your email and click Subscribe on our brand new web site (Golden Banner, lower left-hand side of Home Page): www.messiah-ministries.org (Only if you have not already subscribed through AWebber.com to the new server). And please check out our new ministry web site while you're there. Please forward this note on to anyone who may be interested in Messiah Ministries or my daily prayer devotional. If you can, come join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Celebration Dinner & Christmas Party to celebrate together all the Lord is doing through our ministry at home and abroad. Thank you for being a part! God bless you! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Founder & Spiritual Director Messiah Ministries 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org MessiahMin@aol.com