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Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50–51 WEB. Under the old covenant, the high priest entered a room in the temple called the "Holy of Holies" once a year on Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. The ark of the covenant was kept there. The manifest...

Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean." But Naaman was angry, and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.' Aren't Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,...

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come! Let's meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to harm me. I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?" Nehemiah 6:2–3 WEB. Jerusalem had been pillaged and destroyed. The inhabitants who were not killed, were taken...

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....

Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Luke 12:25–26 WEB. We were so concerned about tomorrow that we couldn't sleep. We had received a subpoena late that evening and had to appear in court at seven the following morning. There was no time to prepare. That was intentional. Many things ran...

                     Crazy Prayers from     Refreshing Hope Ministries on     Vimeo.    Over the years, I have spent a lot of time praying with others. For example, we led an intercessory prayer team for a while. We also volunteered at the healing rooms, where...

He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, 'Behold, a farmer went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell...

Most assuredly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. John 16:23'24 WEB.I once heard a story about a man that was given a ticket on a luxury ocean liner. He had very little money, so he stayed in his room and made sandwiches to eat. He admired all the...

The rooster crowed the second time. Peter remembered the words that Jesus said to him, 'Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.' When he thought about that, he wept. Mark 14:72 WEB.Peter said that he would die before he would deny Jesus. Then later that night, Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times in a row. He was scared. Fear can be a powerful enemy. Sometime later, Peter...

Resurrection Day from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is Resurrection Day, the final day of Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday around 33 AD. Jesus Christ would have been in his early thirties. The numbers coincide because BC and AD were created to date the birth of Jesus Christ, so he was 33 years old, and it was about 33 AD, though historical date discrepancies may put his birth a...

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 to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long until today? Was I ever in the habit of doing...

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...