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Hope in the Dark from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. How can you have hope while living in a dark time? When you feel like what you are facing is so powerful, all you can do is pray. Many before us did, and we can learn from their examples.  First, if you read the New Testament, you'll encounter multiple rulers named 'Herod.' Though they belong to the same family line, it's important...

The Fog from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Beggars sat by the gates of the city with their hands out, heads down in shame, hopelessly believing "woe is me." That nothing could change for them, at least for the better. Such was their lot in life, the hand they had been given. They accepted and believed the lie that things couldn't change. That their future would only be more of the past. It...

Anxiety from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I want to talk about something plaguing so many people today: Anxiety, a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about something with an uncertain outcome. It has always been a problem. Jesus spoke about it, but it has grown to epidemic proportions in modern times. I believe that it is partly because we are bombarded all day long by...

Listen to the Music from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of gold 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. It was immense, possibly like the one he had seen in his dream in Daniel chapter 2, which said that he was the head of gold. Perhaps it was a statue of himself because he made the whole image out of gold. After the statue was completed, King...

Salt of the Earth from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. During the ministry of Jesus, salt was a precious commodity. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt, which created the phrase "worth his salt." Our modern word for salary is derived from the Latin word "salarium," meaning "salt money." Salt has two main properties: It gives flavor and also preserves from corruption. It has been used...

The Yoke from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. People often make promises with no intention of keeping them, but God is not like that. When He makes a promise, it will come to pass. Joshua, the son of Nun, lived forty years as a slave in Egypt, forty years wandering in the wilderness, and thirty years in the promised land. Before he died at 110, he told the Israelites this: (Joshua 21:45 NKJV) ...

The Delusion of Easy Street from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. During the life of the Apostle Paul, a comfortable, soft life, living on easy street, was considered a sure sign of a righteous man. You were living in God's favor. That is why when Jesus Christ said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples with...

26 Letters from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The King James Bible is written using only twenty-six letters, for that's how many letters are in the English alphabet. There are about forty-four major sounds in the English language. Yet, we can write a series of novels within those constraints and take people where they have never been. We can bring hope, encouragement, or fear and division.  A...

All Aboard from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When a passenger train pulls into the station, it gives one long blast from the horn then the bell begins ringing as it slows. The train conductor takes tickets from those waiting and shouts, "All aboard!" Then after a set time, the train pulls away from the station, and those who were ready head to their destination. But what happens to those...

Get Up from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land when he passed away. Moses was a deliverer who brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Yet, because he struck a rock with his staff when he should have spoken to it, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). So the Lord took Moses home, and Joshua became...

Secret Christian from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I sincerely question any salvation that requires no action nor causes any change in your life. If they were arrested today and put on trial for following Jesus, many modern Christians would be set free because of a lack of evidence. Because knowing about Jesus isn't knowing Him. There seems to be some confusion over this, but look how clearly...

Rich Rulers and Poor Widows from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Apostle Paul once did a fundraiser for the church in Judea and collected financial gifts from the Christians in Macedonia and Greece. It was financial aid, for the church in Jerusalem was being persecuted and had fallen on hard times while others were doing well.  The Christians at Corinth had vowed to help, so Paul...

Shock and Awe from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. All twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ were martyred, except for John. They chose death rather than deny the Lord Jesus Christ. James was beheaded. Peter was crucified and requested it be upside down because he felt unworthy to die as Jesus had. His brother Andrew was crucified and preached the gospel from the cross to those in the area for almost...

Desperation from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet, for he wept for his nation and the coming judgment the Lord had shown him. Israel had turned their backs on the Lord and served every other god under the sun.  Spending decades under the leadership of evil kings like Manasseh led the people away from the Lord. Manasseh tried to wipe out the prophets...

Heavenly Places from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Heaven is a real place, as real as the ground underneath your feet, with streets of pure transparent gold and a clear river of the water of life. There will be gates made of a single pearl and foundations made from precious gemstones. There is no darkness, for it is illuminated by the glory of God (Revelation 21:10-23). It will be a jaw-dropping...

A Living Sacrifice from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Various sacrifices were required under the old covenant. Some of the sacrifices helped feed the priests and those who worked at the temple, but a burnt offering was placed on the altar and completely consumed by fire. You can read about these in the book of Leviticus.  Under the new covenant, the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus...

Anchor of the Soul from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When people lose hope, they lie down and die. They lose the will to live and fight any longer. Hopelessness is utter despair, the belief that nothing good will happen. When you begin to think like this, it will bring a desire to die. A spirit of suicide will try and convince you that death is the only way out, but it's a lie. David wrote: (Psalm...

A Whiter Shade of Pale from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Revival is the presence of God coming down to live among His people for a season. Jesus Christ was a walking revival. Crowds thronged around Him. Sinners came to hear Him. Miracles happened. Evil spirits came screaming out of the people. The blind could see. The deaf could hear. The crippled could walk. Sickness and disease were cured....

The Sound of Silence from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It's great when we are on top of the mountain with the Lord, like Moses getting fresh direction, but it gets lonely down in the valley where they worship that golden calf. We are excited when we get a fresh vision from the Lord, a new direction. "Oh, now we know what to do!" But there is often a span of time between the revelation and...

The Grapevine from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Some people have the gift of writing a thousand words without conveying anything meaningful. Have you ever tried to research something and read page after page of documentation and still can't even find what it does?  For instance, try and compare different versions of Microsoft Office, and you will find lengthy pages of writing like:...

Facing the Storm from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live on the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, less than ten miles from the Atlantic Ocean, as a bird would fly. I was born here. For us, from late August through November, it's hurricane season. Technically, it runs from June 1st to November 30th, but the storms I remember most land in September.  Hurricane Hugo came...

The Door to Eternity from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. People who try to live right when the world has gone wrong have always gotten God's attention. We would not even be here today unless some of those people had swum against their current culture. Consider the story of Noah: (Genesis 6:9–10 NKJV)  This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations....

Ever Increasing Faith from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Small victories in your life will lead to bigger ones. When I started with the Lord, I was so hungry I wanted to do exploits for God immediately. I wanted to do the end from the beginning, but the Lord does not work that way. Like track and field, He sets obstacles before us that we can overcome, then He raises the bar a little higher....

The Lamb from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know Jesus was crucified during the Passover feast, so the timing is not far off. In fact, the week of Passover overlaps with Easter this year and begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. At the same time, Easter is on Sunday, April 9th, right in the middle of Passover week.  The...

Intentional Spiritual Growth from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. t's time to align with the divine! To clear our ears and get in tune with what the Lord is doing today. It is planting season once again and a time for intentional spiritual growth. You won't complete a marathon if you haven't disciplined yourself to run for hours. That ability is not given to you. It is earned.  Olympic...

Mirror Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I look in the mirror, and what do I see? Who is that looking back at me? Is it someone faithful and true, or someone wishing they could start new? Today is the day to square up with the one in the mirror. David wrote this song about the Lord after he was delivered from Saul: (2 Samuel 22:26–29 ESV)  "With the merciful you show yourself...

You Get What You Need from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sometimes disappointment comes from unrealistic expectations, like a fish that wants to fly. Fish simply aren't built for graceful air travel, but they can swim like no one else. Likewise, the Lord has given each of us a gift set and areas of expertise to build up the body of Christ, but too often, we want to be someone else, somewhere...

Rest in Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is a word for me, but I'll share it with you. I've had a rough week. Our main mail server here at Refreshing Hope has grown so slow it was becoming unusable and began randomly corrupting email accounts. Millions of emails pass through that machine, and it is mission-critical for us. It is also a temperamental, hateful beast with hundreds...

Wheel in the Sky from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God's being, wisdom, and His word are eternal and live outside of time. Unlike us, He has always existed:  (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Proverbs 8:23 NKJV)  I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. (Matthew 24:35 NKJV) ...

Sheep from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sheep are one of the most high-maintenance animals you can raise. It has been said that the very existence of sheep is evidence against the theory of evolution, for there is no way they could have survived on their own.  Sheep are at the lower end of the intelligence scale and pitifully defenseless. They are both timid and stubborn, frightened...