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Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light for my path. Psalms 119:105 WEB.The ancient oil lamps they used in biblical times had a small light radius. They would light the path just a few feet ahead of you. You couldn't see very far down the road. When traveling by night, you could see just enough to take the next step. When you took that step, the circle of light moved with you, and you could see...

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them." He told them this parable: "Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries...

The Long War from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. After King Saul rebelled and turned away, the Lord chose a new king, but it wouldn't be a microwaved instant king this time. He would begin preparing him early on. So the prophet Samuel was given a new order: to go and anoint a new godly king for Israel from the sons of Jesse in Bethlehem.  (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV)  Now the LORD said...

One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus said...

I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ has come; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10 WEB.Do you ever feel shame over something in your past? Is there something saying: "God is mad at you because'" That is the enemy trying to immobilize...

The Man Who Lost His Edge from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is an interesting story in the book of Exodus where an eighty-year young shepherd named Moses converses with God through a burning bush. When he was a child, Moses was raised in Egypt by Pharaoh's daughter and was well educated. (Acts 7:20–22 NKJV)  At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and...

Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he surnamed them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Mark 3:16'19 WEB.Jesus and the disciples had to have been tired after traveling all day when they finally...

He answered them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men'the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things." He said to them, "Full...

Sledgehammer from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. While working in construction, I have had the pleasure of breaking up concrete with a sledgehammer. You can swing and smash, but nothing seems to happen for a while. You can get exhausted without making much of a dent if it is reinforced. Then finally, you swing, and it crumbles. You managed to break through because all those previous swings...

Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, won't it be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it." Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. Genesis 4:6'7 WEB.Cain became very...

When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight. They said to one another, "Weren't our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:30-32 WEB.The amplifier buzzed as I unplugged my bass...

Expedited from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Do you know that story about the footprints in the sand? Where two were walking together and leaving two sets of prints, but when there was only one set, the Lord was carrying them? That is what I want to talk about this morning, the Lord taking care of things we can’t handle. (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)  And let us not grow weary while doing...

Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David said, "Yahweh, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." 1 Samuel 17:36'37 WEB.Goliath must have been a fearful sight to behold when he walked out onto the...

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, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don't let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. John 14:25-27 WEB.Soon after Jesus completed...

Super Apostles from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Apostle Paul made three long mission trips preaching the Gospel from city to city (click on map to enlarge). His home base was Antioch, and he traveled to Berea and back. It was rough work. Paul was beaten repeatedly, stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked, and under constant threat, but he was a man on a mission.  The Apostle Paul would...

Set a watch, Yahweh, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Psalms 141:3 WEB.David prayed that the Lord would set a guard over his mouth to keep him from saying things that he should not. James said, "If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well" (James 3:3). If you can control your tongue, then you can control the rest of your body. Then James...

Now Yahweh's word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.' But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Jonah...

Sitting At Your Feet from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. About a half hour's walk from Jerusalem there, is a small hamlet on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives called Bethany (click on image to enlarge).  When Jesus was passing through, He was invited to stay at the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Afterward, when visiting Jerusalem, Jesus always stopped by their house. Bethany...

They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey. The people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!" Numbers 21:4'5 WEB.The Israelites slowly marched...

The donkey saw Yahweh's angel, and she lay down under Balaam. Balaam's anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have mocked me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you." The donkey said...

The Weight from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Apostle Paul wrote that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:25 NKJV). One day Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd of people pressed in to hear Him.  Jesus saw two boats on the shore, and the fishermen were washing their nets. So...

Grasshopper from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Israelites who marched out of Egypt had witnessed major miracles. They had seen the plagues swarming over the Egyptians while the Israelite houses were unaffected. When they came to the Red Sea, the water parted before them, and they walked across on the dry ground. When they were hungry, manna, literally bread from heaven, appeared around...

The heavens are Yahweh's heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men. Psalms 115:16 WEB.I watched my son wrestle with connecting the wiring harness to the motherboard of the computer he was building. I could have done it for him, but he was now six years old and needed to learn to do this himself and that the plug only fits one way. He wanted a gaming computer for Christmas. So being...

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 WEBIt was late Saturday night, and we were both exhausted. We were working on a networked accounting system that was bloated and slow. A simple upgrade job that should have taken a couple of hours on Friday had now taken a couple of days. Still, we chose to honor...

The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of Yahweh, he said, 'You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, and attack them in front of the mulberry trees. 2 Samuel 5:22'23 WEB.The Philistine army invaded the Valley of Rephaim, and David asked the Lord what to do. The last time David had faced the Philistines, he met them straight on in...

Fall on Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Around 22 BC, Herod the Great built a major port city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was a grand city named for Caesar Augustus. They called it "Caesarea Maritima." This was over 2,000 years ago, yet forward-thinking Roman engineers built it. Caesarea had well-planned streets, an underground sewage system, an aqueduct that brought...

Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 'How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me. Tell them, 'As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.' Numbers 14:26'28 WEB.The Israelites came out of Egypt and saw incredible miracles each day while...

It Takes Two from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. It is a simple fact that if you never opened your mouth, you would never have an argument. I am including our text-based social media conversations as dialogue as well. In short, we are always part of the problem. None of our disagreements escalate without our help. I am talking about personal relationships and keeping the peace. People don't...

Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They told him, "We are also coming with you." They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus. John 21:3'4 WEB.Peter stood on the shore of the sea of Galilee and watched the waves roll in. He was so discouraged....

The Way Maker from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Israelites had lived in Egypt for centuries when the Lord sent Moses to free them from slavery. A hundred years may seem like a long time to us, but to the Lord, it's merely a dramatic pause. The Lord had told Abram what was coming long before it happened, and it began with his great-grandson Joseph. (Genesis 15:13–14 NASB) ...