Persisting in the Promises - March 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Led me beside Your still waters in these first moments of my morning, as I watch and wait for the leading of Your Spirit. ...

"Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children. Shall I open the womb and not deliver? says the Lord; shall I, the One who delivers, shut the womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her... For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream.... As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:7-13).

As a people, You chose Israel as the apple of Your eye and a light to the nations. Yet she so often turned from Your face and rejected Your embrace. She spurned the correction of Your prophets and rejected the leading of Your Spirit. Her selfishness was great, her stubbornness was strong, and her sins were many (v. 66:3-4).

Yet, You promised to never leave her nor forsake her. You continue to reach out to her and love her. Your covenant is eternal and Your promises are certain. And even when it may seem that all is lost and too far gone to have any hope of change, Your word will still go forth and will fully accomplish all that You have purposed and promised (v. 55:11). "And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, 'Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins'" (Romans 11:26-27).

Is not their journey our journey? Are not their cycles of sins and failures, repentance and mercy, discouragement and hope an example for us? (1 Corinthians 10:6). "Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again" (Romans 11:22-23).

It's Your severity that judges our doubt and unbelief, our resistance and pride. And it's Your kindness that pours out Your mercy and refuses to allow us to persist in our rejection of all Your promises that await fulfillment if we'll entrust ourselves to You. You can change everything in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Like a woman crying out in the pains of labor, You deliver us from our distress and bring to life all You've sown and purposed within us. You will be faithful to bring to completion all You have begun (Philippians 1:6). Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Healing Revival at All Nations UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi in Nicholasville, KY. Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

"The Lamb at the Center" - March 22

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be at the center of all that I think, all that I feel, all that I am, and all that I do. ...

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You forever dwell at the center of the throne of God. And I ask You to dwell forever at the center of my heart. Let my life be centered in Christ.

Guide me each day to Your living springs. Help me drink deeply each day from Your waters of life. Wipe away my tears, heal my wounds, forgive my sins, break my chains. Lamb of God, be at the center of the throne of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Revival at Lexington UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi in Nicholasville, KY. Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

"Tremble at My Word" - March 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I love You, Lord. Thank You for first loving me. ...

"But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2).

To be humble in spirit is to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. To be contrite in spirit is to willingly choose to be tenderly sensitive to Your correction and guidance. To tremble at Your word is to willingly choose to highly reverence Your will above our ways in the holy fear of the Lord.

This is the heart that pleases You; this is the life that draws Your favor and embraces Your Presence. "For thus says the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I will dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (v. 57:15).

When we tremble at Your word, we'll no longer tremble at the world. When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, You will lift us up. When we yield to leading of Your Spirit, You'll lead us in the paths of Your righteousness, beside Your still waters, as Your restore our souls. "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Lord, let it be so in me today and every day. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

Thank you for all your prayers for us as we've been ministeing (non-stop!) in Georgia and South Carolina this week. The Lord has been moving mightily through inner healing and prophetic ministry! There's was standing room only in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar and last night we were led to pray and prophecy over every person at the meeting in Lexington, SC! Please keep praying for us as we move on to some personal ministry times in Charlotte, NC today and tonight, before returning home.

This weekend March 23-25, we'll be speaking at the Revival at Lexington UMC with Pastor Hahn Choi back in Nicholasville, KY . Come join us if your're in the area! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

The Cross and the Cup - March 19

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me start this day and every day embraced by the Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. ...

"James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.' And He said to them, 'What is it that you want Me to do for you?' And they said to Him, 'Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?' " (Mark 10:35-39)

There's something in us that drives us to seek to sit "in Your glory." We often find ourselves striving for position, struggling for place. We're full of pride and full of ourselves. And that can be true of each of us, even after we've been walking with You in the midst of us for awhile.

But in our zeal to do great things for You and think great things of ourselves, You keep pointing us to Your cross; You keep offering to us Your cup. That's where we truly die to ourselves so we can truly live for You. That's where You crucify us in our flesh and baptize us in Your fire.

There is a cross for each of us to bear and there is a cup for each of us to drink (Mark 8:34). It's along the journey toward spiritual maturity where we come to place of seeking Your glory instead of our glory, seeking Your Kingdom instead of trying to build our own kingdom. That's where You remind us, "To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.... It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:6).

Lord, keep leading me to the cross and the cup by Your Spirit. Bring me to the place where I can say, "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic ministry Click Here for Our Events Calendar Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD Click Here for Our Ministry Resources

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can! Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Join us March 30-31, Friday Night and Saturday, for our Spiritual Gifts Weekend in Lexington, Kentucky for Activation and Impartation of Spiritual Gifts Click Here for Our Events Calendar

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

"Philip the Evangelist" - March 16

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I surrender all, entrusting to You all the moments of my day. ...

"The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy" (Acts 21:8-9).

Philip was one of the seven, set apart for ministry, along with Stephen and the others, by Your first apostles (v. 6:5). They were "seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (v. 6:3). You gifted him as an evangelist and You gifted his daughters as prophets.

Thank You for the gifts and the calling You have for each of us in the Body of Christ. Help us discover them for ourselves and encourage them in our children. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.... All of these are activated by the one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses" (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Philip became known by his gifting and calling - "Philip the evangelist." No doubt, it was a consuming passion in his life. When we seek first You and Your Kingdom, Your Holy Spirit awakens us to our identity, empowers us with authority, and sends us forth into our destiny. Finding our own identity then frees us to recognize and affirm the distinct identity of our children and others, freeing them to be all You created them to be just as You've freed us to be all You've created us to be.

Lord, help me know the security of who I am in Christ and who You are in me. Reveal to me my gifting and calling; help me recognize it and affirm it in my children and others. May we be activated, equipped, anointed, and empowered, consumed with passion to live our lives for You. With great diversity, we are joined and fitted together as Your body to reveal Your heart in the ways You've chosen among the lives You touch through each of us. "As it is, there are many members, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:20). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic ministry ( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ). Please spread the word to your friends who may have a calling and passion to be equipped and empowered for this type of ministry. You can also order our Level 1 and Level 2 Schools, and other healing and equipping resources, recorded live on DVD and CD (www.messiah-ministries.org/resources).

Please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/local-church-renewal-events/lay-witness-mission).

These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word

( www.messiah-ministries.org/events ).

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can!

Holy Spirit Set-ups - March 15

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close to You. ...

"The the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over to this chariot and join it.' So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. (Philip) asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading? He replied, 'How can I unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to get in beside him.... Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this Scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:29-35).

Holy Spirit, make me more sensitive to hear Your voice and sense Your leading where I'm to go, whom I'm to see, and what I'm to say. Help me recognize Your holy set-ups for the divine encounters You've planned for me today. Let me not waste any opportunities to share the love of God revealed in the good news about Jesus. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, we would love for you to join us for our Messiah Ministries' 4 Day School of Spiritual Ministry April 18-21, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky focusing healing prayer and prophetic ministry ( www.messiah-ministries/events ). Please spread the word to your friends who

Please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/local-church-renewal-events/lay-witness-mission).

These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word

( www.messiah-ministries/events ).

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can!

"Complete in Everything Good" - March 14

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and lift up my prayer as an offering of my life and this day to You - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...

"Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

When things are set right, there is peace. There was no peace until Jesus was raised from the dead. And there can be no peace within us until we die to ourselves so that Christ may live in us and through us. This is when we are made compete in everything good so that we may do Your will. "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I know You have not yet made me complete in everything good, but You've given me this desire and moved upon me to venture forward in this journey. Like a sheep, I sometimes go astray; but Your are the Great Shepherd of the sheep. And by the blood of Your eternal covenant with me, I know You will be faithful to bring to completion all You have begun. "The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:24). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

 

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109525929192&s=0&e=001JqSkm04gmm2OFdUBKRkfUjKerlxTczVIASA5zCe-YI4iSZwBlIEQKCRC_WPw4Ws1pw5qXnvdRpFS9Zql1_PGr9taCquSU-aAodJP5hUQENVOpILDHp6iaEnDG5MDwEu7-inrHyxaNArUDQDYe6D6sF9ojUEq7MRQ4z41m8JE1WNDpRlcEJNyPXUSPGQAV80veaedKUrQL7XRxE_mJjl43Q==).

  

These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word

 ( http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109525929192&s=0&e=001JqSkm04gmm2OFdUBKRkfUjKerlxTczVIASA5zCe-YI4iSZwBlIEQKCRC_WPw4Ws1pw5qXnvdRpEYSFn5m2mCLNEHr9nayXVsckcoV8WOMj3v8lgBgUsEODMJdPamPp3F ). 

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can!

"Stephen, Full of Grace and Power" - March 12

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Intentionally, deliberately, I turn my attention to You, watching and waiting for Your leading, as I begin my day in the communion of prayer. ...

"Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue ... stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke" (Acts 6:8).

Stephen was a simple man, willing to wait on tables, willing to serve You however he was needed. He wasn't full of himself; he was "full of grace and power." He wasn't full of pride or striving for place and position; he was "full of the Spirit and of wisdom" and "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (v. 6:3-5). And though he was willing to do the lowly things, You also used him to do mighty things in Your Kingdom and for Your glory.

Because Stephen humbled himself, You lifted him up (James 4:10). Because he chose to serve, You caused him to lead. "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43-45). His life and his death are an inspiration and model of serving and leading in the fullness of the Spirit.

Even his opponents "saw that his face was like that of an angel" (v.6:15). And even in the face of death, Stephen was "filled with the Holy Spirit" and "saw the glory of God" (v. 7:55). He willingly chose with all his heart to live and then give his life for Your sake (v. 7:60).

Lord, I want to be a servant like Stephen and be filled with Your Spirit like Stephen. Help me slay my pride; help me choose the humble path. Fill me with Your grace and power, Your wisdom and faith. Help me see Your glory until I am changed into Your nature (2 Corinthians 3:18). Help me willingly, wholeheartedly choose to life and give my life for Your sake. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I speak and minister this weekend, along with Margaret Therkelsen at St. Simons Island, Georgia at the Lay Witness Ministry Annual Retreat (http://aldersgaterenewal.org/ministry-events/local-church-renewal-events/lay-witness-mission).

These next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word

( www.messiah-ministries/events ).

We're very excited to be speaking and ministering on inner healing, deliverance, and prophetic ministry next Monday Night 3/19 in the Partner's Lounge at MorningStar in Fort Mill, SC. We'll be speaking and ministering Tuesday Night 3/20 in Lexington, SC hosted at Boiling Springs UMC. Please come if you can!

Favor of God for the Faithful of Heart - March 9

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, lead me in Your ways. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I watch and wait for You in the communion of prayer. ...

"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master" (Daniel 1:8-9).

Daniel was constantly pressured and pressed by the world around him. He was a stranger in a foreign land, constantly called on to conform to its religious practices and cultural customs. And where those conflicted with his conscience, he pressed back. It deeply mattered to him to be "found faithful" to You (1 Corinthians 4:2, NKJ).

And as Daniel pressed back, You covered his back. As he stood his ground, You stood by him. You gave him grace and favor even with those who did not know his God or understand his ways. "For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover them with favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12).

Lord, I pray for a heart like Daniel, with sensitivity of conscience to Your heart and Your ways, with confidence and courage to stand my ground wherever You call me to refuse to yield to the pressures of the world. I pray for the wisdom to know which battles to fight and which stands to take. And I pray for Your grace and favor to go before me and be upon me in every relationship and every encounter - not on the basis of my righteousness, but on the basis of Yours that makes the way for Your grace and favor in my life (2 Corinthians 5:21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I preach and minister at St. Andrew United Methodist Church this Sunday with good friends Pastor Rob and Vicki Hughes ( http://www.welcometostandrew.com ). The next two weeks, we'll be speaking and ministering in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Please come join us if you can and spread the word ( www.messiah-ministries/events ).

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

"Like a Weaned Child" - March 8

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my eyes and speak out Your name and open up my spirit to draw near to You in my morning time of communion in prayer. ...

"O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul within me is like a weaned child" (Psalm 131:1-2).

I can be calm and quiet in my soul to the degree that I can be content to trust in You. The more I trust in You, the more I will grow in the contentment of Your peace. In that peace, I no longer have to strive and strain, worry and fear, try to make things happen, or insist on my own way. I can rest in the trust that You're watching over me, guiding the steps of my life, with my best interest at heart - like a mother's love for her growing child.

A weaned child has grown beyond the need for the mother's milk, but feels just as secure and content in the mother's presence and love. Through the season of weaning, there's much fighting and frustration, fear change, trying to insist that things remain the same. But You've created us to grow up beyond the milk and onto the meat. "For everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those who faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrew 5:13-15).

Lord, help me keep growing up in spirit and truth. Help me let go of what I felt I needed for security and provision in the past so I can fully embrace all that You have for me now. Help me have the courage to "put an end to childish ways" so I can keep growing up in Your ways (1 Corinthians 13:11). In this journey to maturity, help me be content; help me be calm and quiet in my soul, as I keep trusting You to know what's best for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I preach and minister at St. Andrew United Methodist Church this Sunday with good friends Pastor Rob and Vicki Hughes ( http://www.welcometostandrew.com ).

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!
Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

Tender and Humble - March 7

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today. ...

"Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind" (1 Peter 3:8).

With a tender heart and a humble mind, I want to have Your desires and Your thoughts. I want to be united and aligned in the unity of Your Spirit with the members of Your Body, bound together by the power of Your love.

Lord, let Your ways become my ways and Your nature become my nature. Then infuse me with Your wisdom and guidance to live like You in the circumstances of my world today. You are my role model and example, as I seek to follow in Your steps (v. 2:21). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries
www.messiah-ministries.org

Not Many Fathers - March 6

Good morning, Lord Jesus. From everlasting to everlasting, You always were and You always will be. And You are always with me. ...

"For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers ..." (1 Corinthians 4:15, NKJ).

Tom Monroe, one of the spiritual fathers of our city passed on from glory to glory yesterday morning, March 5, 2012. He was our elder statesman, an apostolic voice, and a father in the faith. He inspired me and so many others with his consistent faith, sound wisdom, and gentle spirit. He was a champion of the unity of the Body of Christ in our city and region. He was tireless in his exhortations to practical faith that first prayed and then became part of the answer to the prayers in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit. And perhaps above all, in the final season of his life, he passionately called us to our place of responsibility and authority as fathers in our families and fathers in our faith.

As one of his many sons in the Spirit, I'll truly miss him. And I'll seek to honor him, as his legacy lives on through the lives of those he encouraged and inspired. Like Simeon who would not pass on from this side of eternity to the next without seeing the Messiah, I praise God that Tom Monroe saw the beginnings and the birth-pangs of the great move of the Spirit he so passionately prayed for and was such an intimate part of (Luke 2:25-35). We entrust him now to You and into that great crowd of witnesses, looking on from heaven to see Your legacy and theirs come to pass in the fullness of time (Hebrews 12:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please join with me in holding the family of Tom and Gwen Monroe in your hearts and prayers through this season of both celebrating Tom's passing on to the great joy of heaven and also mourning our great loss from us here on earth.

Be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to fulfill your destiny in Christ!

Tommy & Sylvia Hays | Messiah Ministries

www.messiah-ministries.org

"The First of All the Fruit" - March 1

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I will seek You first and Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. Let Your will be the first thought on my mind and Your name be the first word from my mouth, as I begin my day with You. ...

"When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His name. You shall go to the priest who is office at the time and say to him, 'Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us' " (Deuteronomy 26:1-3).

Yes, Lord. Today I declare to You that I have come into the land that You swore to my ancestors to give to me. Today I declare that You are a good God, faithful to Your promises, tender in Your mercies, and steadfast in Your love. And today I declare that all I am and all I have belong to You. You are my Inheritance and I am Your possession.

And as I begin this day, I offer to You the first of the fruit of my heart, grounded in You and available to You for the harvest of Your Kingdom through my life today. In my morning prayer and then throughout the moments of my day, may I seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness (Matthew 6:33). I know everywhere that I will set the soles of my feet today is ground You've given me to possess and a spiritual atmosphere You've given me to impact (Joshua 1:3). So my first step is toward You and every step after is for You, as I take up my sickle and enter again into the harvest, to be about my Father's business. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Sylvia and I begin our long journey back to our Messiah Ministries home base in Lexington, Kentucky today. We had another exciting time of prophetic ministry speaking on preparation and prospering in the end times at Brady Community Church last night on our way home from Kerrville. Please keep us in prayer as we travel and let us know if your Church or Conference would like us to come to speak and miniser in the areas of inner healing, prophetic ministry, and dreams. Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, and support that allow us to minister at home and abroad. God bless you!

Fill Me to Fly - February 28

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You cause me to come alive. You awaken me to arise. You fill me to fly. Thank You for this day You've given me to live for You. ...

I hear Your Spirit writing a new song in my spirit, as I drop down into deep communion in my morning prayer with you today:

You cause me to come alive

You awaken me to arise
Then You fill me to fly

My days are Your days

Your ways become my ways
And You fill me to fly

My soul arise
My spirit fly
Soaring to the sky
My life is Your life
One day at a time in You

Your Kingdom come

Your will be done
In every adventure You bring
In every encounter I see
In every moment of this day I live for You

Yes, Lord. This is the song of my spirit today. Let this be the song of my spirit every day. "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Fill me up and let me fly (Ephesians 5:18). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Wow! Sylvia and I had an incredible night of ministry last night and are excited and expectant for another one tonight, as we look to see what the Lord will do! We already heard testimonies of how the Holy Spirit was moving in deep inner healing and extremely accurate prophetic encouragement. Please keep us in prayer as we speak again in Kerrville, Texas Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship ( www.impactkerr.com ) with inner healing and prophetic ministry. We so grateful to our great friends Bobby and Carolyon Zirkel for helping set these meetings up. Come join us if you can!

A Tender Heart - February 27

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let Your light shine in my heart and guide my steps throughout the moments of my day. ...

"A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you, and make you follow My statutes and be careful to observe My ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be My people and I shall be your God" (Ezekiel 36:26-28).

Sylvia and I have been speaking in Brady, Texas this past weekend at the First Methodist Church and at Brady Community Church on spiritual leadership and spiritual gifts. On the way to the meeting last night, we drove by the courthouse at the center of town and saw a big granite monument in the shape of the state of Texas. At the center was a bright red heart, declaring, "Brady, The Heart of Texas." Though it's a fitting declaration of this city at the geographical center of the state, it's also a fitting declaration of the vibrant heart of the people here as well.

At the same time, there is a sense of a spiritual dryness and even hardness in the region for those who need to know You and those who need to encounter Your intimate Presence and Your mighty power. During worship last night, it seemed I heard You say to this land, "I am breaking the hardness of your heart of stone, and I am giving you a tender heart, wide open to My Presence and My power and My love." As I shared this word, we came into agreement in Your declaration on behalf of this land and prayed it out as far as Your grace would go to the heart of this region, this nation, and this world.

Lord, break the hardness of our hearts. Give us Your tender heart. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit with us, in our generation throughout the earth (Psalm 51:10). Let it be so in Brady and let it be so in the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, continuing the ministry of Christ, with Your tender heart and in Your mighty power. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Thank You! for praying for us as we ministered in Brady, Texas this weekend. The Holy Spirit was moving mightily at our weekend conference. We were led to personally prophesy over every person at the meeting last night when the pastor of another local church invited us to come minister at his church.

Please keep us in prayer as we speak in Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship ( www.impactkerr.com ) with inner healing and prophetic ministry. Come join us if you can!

"The Breath of the Almighty" Gives Wisdom - February 24

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Mighty to save, mighty to forgive, mighty to heal, You are the Lord God Almighty. ...

"But truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of the Almighty, that makes for understanding. It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right" (Job 32:8-9).

Your Holy Spirit, abiding within my human spirit, gives me understanding and teaches me what is right. Your breath gives me life, and Your guidance enables me to live it well. Neither the books I've read, the degrees I hold, nor the years I've lived make me wise in the wisdom of God - that only comes from the time I spend in communion with You. This is the "wisdom from above" (James 3:17).

So at the beginning of this day, before I open my mind to the thoughts of this world and the wisdom of this age, I open my heart and spirit to You. "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding ... for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you" (Proverbs 2:6-11). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Syliva and I are enjoying a few days in the guest house of great friends in Texas before our next ministry engagement. Please keep us in prayer as we minister in Brady, Texas at First UMC this weekend and Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship ( www.impactkerr.com ) with inner healing and prophetic ministry. Come join us if you can!

Reward of Rest - February 23

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I begin each day with these same words, my spirit rises up to awaken my heart into the communion of prayer with You - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ...

"The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told Him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while'" (Mark 6:30-31).

You send us to go and do, to teach and minister in the authority of Your name and the power of Your Spirit. You're with us as we go, shaping our words and guiding our steps, sending us to be the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, ministering the love and power of Christ. You call us to spend and be spent in the service of Your Kingdom, for the glory of Your name, as we grow into maturity of spirit, being conformed to Your nature. And then You call us to "come away ... and rest a while."

There's a reward of rest for Your disciples. There's a deserted place where there's nothing to do and no one to teach. And when You call us to come away for that time and to that place, it's just as important to obey that command as it is to obey Your command to go and teach and do. Forgive us when we don't. Forgive us when we won't.

But thank You for the refreshing and rest that comes when we do. You know when we need it and give us grace to receive it. We don't have to worry that our rest will last too long or that You'll forget to send us back into service again (v. 6:37). So we can rest without guilt or concern in the reward of these moments when You call us to come away with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, Syliva and I are enjoying a few days in the guest house of great friends in Texas before our next ministry engagement. Please keep us in prayer as we minister in Brady, Texas at First UMC this weekend and Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship ( www.impactkerr.com ) with inner healing and prophetic ministry. Come join us if you can!

Think Rightly - February 22

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7, KJV).

Lord, help me think rightly in my heart-about You, about others, about myself. My thoughts shape my choices, and my choices shape my identity.

I want to know who I am as You know me. So keep renewing my mind and transforming my nature, so I can be all You've created me to be and accomplish all You've created me to do (Romans 12:2). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I minister in Brady, Texas at First UMC this weekend and Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship with inner healing and prophetic ministry. Come join us if you can!

Spiritual Gifts - "Let Us Use Them" - February 21

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, fill my spirit, soul, and body with the fullness of Your Presence. ...

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, in liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:6-8, NKJ).

You've given us spiritual gifts with spiritual power. Each one is expression of Your Spirit abiding within us and ministering through us. They are a part of our identity, and they are necessary to fulfill our destiny. So "let us use them."

How are we to use them unless we know what they are? How are we to use them unless we know what they're for? How are we to use them unless we know how?

A father loves to "give good gifts" to his children; and our Heavenly Father loves to "give good gifts" to us (Matthew 7:11). You've given gifts to each of us that fit who we are and what we're called to do. Together, our individual gifts fit together as the Body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ, to continue to the ministry of Christ (John 20:21). "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Romans 12:4-5).

Lord, show us our spiritual gifts. Awaken them and activate them with us. Equip us and anoint us to use them according to our calling for Your purposes in our generation. Align us and empower us as Your body to prepare Your bride to display Your glory throughout the earth (Isaiah 61:1-3). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I minister in Brady, Texas at First UMC this weekend and Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship with inner healing and prophetic ministry. Come join us if you can!

"On That Day" - February 20

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; I want to see You. ...

"On that day living waters shall flow out of Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of theme to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will become King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be One and His name One" (Zechariah 14:8-9).

There will be a day when every prophecy will be fulfilled. There will be a day when Your Kingdom has come and Your will is done, on earth as it is in heaven. There will be a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). There will be a day when the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). That day will be "the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through His holy prophets" (Acts 3:21).

We live between this day and that day. We live in the age between the day of Your first coming and the day You'll come again with fire blazing from Your eyes and the declaration of "King of kings and Lord of lords" emblazoned on Your thigh (Revelation 19:11-16). Every day, every breakthrough, every salvation, every healing, every deliverance, every sign, every wonder is a foretaste today of that day to come-"a foretaste of future glory" (Romans 8:23, NLT).

One day You'll come in glory in the skies (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But every day between this day and that day You want to come in glory in our hearts. "For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is within (us)" (Luke 17:21). "For the Kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). So come, Lord Jesus, come. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let everyone who hears say, 'Come.' And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the Water of Life as a gift" (Revelation 22:17). So while we wait with eager longing with all creation for that great and glorious day to come, we praise You and thank You for every day of Your Kingdom and Your Power and Your Glory in our lives now. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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

Friends, please keep us in prayer as Sylvia and I minister in Brady, Texas at First UMC this weekend and Kerrville, Texas on Monday and Tuesday night at Impact Christian Fellowship with inner healing and prophetic ministry.