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But Ruth said, Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. Ruth 1:16–17 ESVRuth walked along the road thinking about what had recently happened. Her husband had died, her father-in-law had died, and her brother-in-law...

And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. Josh. 23:14 ESVWhen I was young, the Lord spoke to my heart that one day I would be in the ministry and to begin to prepare myself for it. I...

What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? Job 7:17-18 ESVWe used to sing a song in church that was “More of Jesus, Less of Me.” While this is a neat saying, and I even like the song, that is not what God actually wants. It would be better sang as “More like...

the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.” (Joshua 4:1–3 ESV)   February Newsletter - 2015 Hello there,  Thank...

and they went a three days journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. Numbers 33:8–9 ESVThe Israelites had been traveling for three days through a desert wasteland when they arrived at Marah, thirsty and out of water. The water at Marah was bitter...

These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey. So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. Joshua 9:13–14 ESVJoshua and the Israelite leaders had believed a lie and now were betrayed. Some strangers had came to them pretending that they were from a faraway...

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Judg. 3:7 ESVCenturies ago when it was time to go to church, there was an excitement in the air and no one wanted to stay home. It was a convenient religion. Baal was the god of materialism and money. Asheroth was the god of sex and fertility. Molech was the god...

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain! And God granted what he asked. 1 Chronicles 4:10 ESVSome people that I have met are often ashamed to ask God for anything. They feel that they have messed up so bad that they are lucky to be on the...

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. Job 2:11 NIV  When Job went through a terrible trial, three of his friends came to comfort him. One by one they gave long-winded speeches...

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 NIV  This is an amazing story to me. The Lord called to Samuel three times and each time he got up and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am.” Eli, after the third time, told him to go back and if He calls you...

The LORD said to Gideon, The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, My own hand has saved me. Judg. 7:2 ESV  Gideon started out with thirty-two thousand men but ended up with three hundred at the start of the actual battle. God Himself took them away and separated them from him. Gideon was not abandoned, and it was completely...

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. Joshua 1:1–3 ESV  Painful...

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel. Luke 7:9 NIV  We bought a huge dell server on eBay and had to pay a hundred dollars in shipping charges. When I unpacked it and started it up, it died with processor failure. I tried everything that a technician would do during the day,...

But I Only Read The King James Version? Halt! Hast thou waxed weak scum or art thou leasing a muffler? This FAQ article is in response to periodic complaints that we are not exclusively using the KJV translation of the Bible. Because we try to reply to every email, and the explanation takes a long time, we have put it all together here: First, lets cover some of my history and how that I...

One of the most difficult things in life is dealing with the death of a loved one. There is no simple answer for this, or magic cure, but I will try and explain this from 3 points of view that I have gathered in my experience. Our view, the person’s view, and then God’s view. We need to see all sides to see the whole picture, which is often beautiful in context. Think of it as a camera...

What is the Church? If you Google “What is the Church” it will return something like this: Noun: church/CH?rCH/ 1) A building used for public Christian worship. 2) A particular Christian organization, typically one with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines: “the Church of England”. However many things the Church may be, and no matter how much...

Gen 2:24 …a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ~NIV    Right at the beginning, in the second chapter of the bible, God lays out the plan for marriage.  Marriage can be one of the most fulfilling things in your life, or a constant source of misery. In this talk I will try and give you tips that I have...

I blog about the adventures that I have while walking with Jesus in my everyday life, and why I believe what I write. The Words:  The words here can be very timely and usually come out of prayer or praise and worship. It is not head knowledge, but inspiration. Many people find that they address what they are dealing with on that day. I usually get up in the morning and praise and worship...

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:22–25 ESV) January Newsletter - 2015 Thank you for reading our devotional...

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Romans 14:5–6 ESV December...

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. John 10:2–5 ESV November Newsletter Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part...

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! Psalms 143:10 ESV October Newsletter Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. I wanted to update you on what is going on here because this is an exciting time in our life. For several months I had felt a restlessness, and that God wanted me to do something...

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Neh 9:20-21 ESV When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them His Spirit to teach them, provided them food, water, and sustained...

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 ESV Health tip: Don't worry, be happy. You can add years to your life, and health to your body by simply being joyful and happy. No one should have power over your joy. They can cause problems but how you react to it is completely under your power. You make a choice to become angry instead of turning the other...

So I went down to the potters house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potters hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? Jer. 18:3-6 ESV I was always amazed at how beautiful the pieces of pottery...

And he said to him, Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my fathers house. 16 And the LORD said to him, But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. Judg. 6:15-16 ESV Gideon was the least in his family who was the poorest clan in Manasseh. God chose him to lead a group of three hundred men and defeat a vast...

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:13 ESV Once while having dinner at a friends house, there was a lady there...

Then his master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. Matthew...

Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ships boat and let it go. Acts 27:32 ESV The crew was gripped with fear as the ship was tossed about by the wind and waves. For fourteen days they had been battered and driven before this storm. Finally some of the sailors decided they would escape using a life boat, but Paul told them that if they did not stay on the ship, they would all die. Then they...