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Yahweh said to Joshua, "Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that?" Joshua 7:10 WEB.Joshua lay prostrate before the ark of the Lord all that evening. Yesterday, he had been a mighty warrior. Now Israel had lost the battle at Ai, all because one of the men with him had become greedy and broken the Lord's commandment concerning Jericho. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and entered...

Palm Sunday from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the last week of Jesus' life on Earth. It was five days before Passover, the day He would be crucified, a day we know as Good Friday. Palm Sunday leads up to Resurrection Sunday, which we call Easter. It also marks the beginning of Passion Week, also called Holy Week. Jesus traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem...

I have been young, and now am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his children begging for bread. All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His seed is blessed. Psalms 37:25'26 WEB.Today is the tomorrow you were so worried about yesterday, and it is not as bad as you thought. Many times throughout my life, I have been worried about what was coming. But when the problem arrived,...

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 WEB.A shepherd herding his sheep along a path does not have to interact with them much. He follows behind them, watching. He doesn't have to say anything while the sheep continue in the right direction, though His presence is there with them....

The Blessing of Abraham from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God knows how to help people who are going through a hard time, for He is a delivering God. Even when our own actions have landed us there, He can bring us back from the brink of destruction. He always tells the enemy, "Let My people go!" Yet, far too many times, He sets us free, and we return to bondage like a washed sow that returns...

Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren't tempted. Galatians 6:1 WEB.We all make mistakes. Not one of us on Earth has lived a perfect life except Jesus. Yet we tend to compare our righteousness to that of others. Sometimes we feel like, "Though we all fall short, I am a lot closer...

Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 WEB.The Apostle Paul learned to be content in whatever situation that he found himself. He saw beyond his physical circumstances and realized that God was still in control of his life even though he was going through terrible...

I have said these things to you, while still living with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you." John 14:25'27 WEB.One of the most challenging and rewarding things you will ever undertake is to learn to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He has more wisdom than planet Earth combined...

Fool for the City from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told a story about a young man who was living a comfortable life and had a bright future ahead of him. Although the man was unnamed in the story, let's call him Richmond. Richmond lived on his wealthy father's farm and helped oversee the work of maintaining it. In the ancient Near East, this would have been tending to crops, managing...

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved in various trials, that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Peter 1:6'8 WEB.Faith is the currency of heaven. If you want something from God, you get...

Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn't repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you." Matthew...

Speak To It from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is hidden power in the words you speak, but how? The Apostle Paul tells us that the Word of God is our offensive weapon: The Sword of the Spirit. We combine that with a defensive weapon called the Shield of Faith. (Ephesians 6:16–17 NKJV)  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery...

The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. He isn't served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath and all things. Acts 17:24'25 WEB.He's got the whole world in His hands. Those words were part of a great song that I learned as a child, and I believed it. I could...

He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 WEB.Jesus spoke these words to the eleven Apostles before He ascended to heaven. There is so much that could be said about this, but today we focus on "The Gospel." The word Gospel means "Glad tidings, good or joyful news." We are here to proclaim the "good and joyful news" to the whole creation.The good...

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 WEB.The disciples of Jesus were mostly uneducated fishermen, but later people lined the streets hoping that the shadow of Peter would pass over them (Acts 5:15). Peter had become more than a simple fisherman because He...

Transformers from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses was now eighty years old and tending sheep in the wilderness of Sinai.  It was a lonely, rugged, harsh terrain that was mostly barren but with just enough seasonal vegetation to graze sheep and goats. The nights were cold, and the days were extremely hot, with very little rainfall.  At eighty, Moses was pretty insignificant,...

The Lord of Breakthrough from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When David became King of Israel, the Philistines became worried, for David had long been a thorn in their side. He had killed their champion giant, Goliath, when he was in his teens. People even sang songs and danced about how many Philistines David had killed in battle, and the Philistines knew about them:  (1 Samuel 29:5...

Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. Luke 12:29'31 WEB.The most important things in your life aren't things at all. If your primary focus is stuff, you will always feel empty inside. Solomon...

Stolen Destiny from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. After King David passed on, his son Solomon, by Bathsheba, became the next King of Israel. The Lord appeared to Solomon twice and told him that if he walked in all the Lord's ways, he would always have an heir on the throne. But Solomon's seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines led his heart astray towards the end of his life, and...

Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf." His brothers said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have...

He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "You don't know what I am doing now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet!"...

Down at the Crossroads from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV)  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Trying to understand why God does something is a crossroads that everyone comes to at some point,...

The Bronze Serpent from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. In essence, this was the beginning of a covenant relationship, similar to marriage vows today.  God had already proven His faithfulness by delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through many signs, wonders, miracles,...

Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31'33 WEB.One of the sweetest testimonies that I ever heard was...

Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know. Jeremiah 33:3 WEB.When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, for they were lost and without a Shepherd. He would stop, teach, and heal them. With a touch, He would heal their wounds. Jesus said several times in His teachings that He was the good Shepherd and that He came to seek out and...

As Time As This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the ancient empire of Persia, around 479 BC, a high-ranking official named Haman was driven by a deep-seated grudge and plotted to exterminate all the Jewish people in the empire. His hatred was sparked by Mordecai the Jew, who refused to bow to Haman as he passed by.  So Haman, consumed by his vengeful pride, cunningly convinced...

When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:5 WEB.It was a hot summer day in the South, and Dad and I were working on a house for an elderly lady. Dad was repairing some of the woodwork, and I was coming behind...

But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:50'52 WEB.Paul and Barnabas traveled from town to town preaching the gospel....

From Dust to Dust from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose sight of the eternal. We are so busy planning for what we are going to do tomorrow that we forget we might not be here at all. I am all for working, planning, building, and saving for a rainy day, but let's be grounded in reality and not forget about eternity. Let's begin with...

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8'9 WEB.There have been many times in life when I worked something out in my mind, planned how it should go, then watched as it went the other way. As a business owner, at times, it was frustrating....