Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli perceived that Yahweh had called the child. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel!...

Yahweh said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. Yahweh said...

Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying, "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel. I have given you every place that the sole of your foot will tread on, as I told Moses. Joshua 1:1'3 WEB.Painful memories...

Gifts That Keep on Giving from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One of the greatest and most fulfilling things you can do is to be used by God to help others somehow. Jesus said, what you have done to the least of the brethren, you have done unto Me (Matthew 25:40). And even giving one of His followers a cup of cold water will bring you a reward (Matthew 10:42).  Yet, we can do more than...

Gospel Amnesia from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they came to a Samaritan village that did not welcome them. The "Sons of Thunder" brothers, James and John, remembered the prophet Elijah calling down fire from heaven and wanted to do likewise: (Luke 9:54–56 NKJV)  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You...

A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 WEB.Health tip: Don't worry. Be Happy. You can add years to your life and health to your body by merely being joyful and happy. No one should be able to manipulate your joy externally because it should come from inside you.People, places, and things can cause problems, but how you react to events is entirely...

Resting in a Storm from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Our Lord Jesus Christ lived on Earth as our example and lived a simple life of trust and peace. Once when Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee on their fishing boat, a great storm came, and Jesus slept soundly in the bottom of the vessel while the rest were stressed out. Jesus had learned to rest from stress.  (Matthew...

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my ordinances and do them....

Brothers and Sisters from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I was raised to work hard and take pride in my work. I often turn it into a game as if I were doing it directly for the Lord. If I am making dinner for one of the Lord's people, I prepare it as if it were for the King Himself. If I am repairing a toilet at the church, it's the throne of the King. The way you treat the Lord's people...

Fun While It Lasted from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Do you believe in God enough that it affects your behavior? Do you hold back from doing some things simply because it would grieve the Holy Spirit? Or does your spiritual life have little to do with your daily life? And why does it matter? (Luke 6:46–48 NKJV)  "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which...

Jesus, looking at them, said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27 WEB.Have you ever faced a seemingly impossible circumstance that looked entirely hopeless? Jesus said that ALL things are possible with God. There is nothing out of reach or that He cannot do. The Bible is a possibilities book. It contains so many instances of God creating something...

Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" He said, "There remains yet the youngest. Behold, he is keeping the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance....

Rise From the Dust from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses was a fiery young man in Egypt, raised by the daughter of Pharaoh and reared with all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). He was mighty in words and deeds, but when he turned forty years old, things seemed to fall apart.  One day he went to visit his people, the Hebrews, who were enslaved in Egypt. He wanted to help them,...

Just-if-id from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Years ago, in seminary, an instructor of mine taught the book of Romans. The theme the Apostle Paul stresses strongly in his letter to the Romans is being justified before God. Yet, what does that mean to us? Let's start with the basics and break it down as simply as possible. (Romans 3:23 NKJV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the...

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2 WEB.Thunderstorms in the deep south can be terrible, especially for children. Blackened skies, winds that blow down trees, walls of rain you cannot see through, accompanied by bolts of lightning that hit the ground and sound as if an artillery shell exploded. Once a...

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6'7 WEB.In the past, many saints and martyrs have faced terrible trials and death with peace in their hearts that no one could explain. Some sang hymns...

The Mustard Seed from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told His disciples a parable about the kingdom of God using a tiny mustard seed. Though mustard was the smallest seed a Palestinian farmer would plant in his field, it would grow into the largest plant in his garden.  (Matthew 13:31–32 NKJV)  Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like...

Also delight yourself in Yahweh, And he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 WEB.Many years ago, I bought a new graphics card for my computer. It had the newly released Digital Visual Interface port. DVI had just come out, and it was now possible to connect a computer to a high-definition television. So you could use a tv like a giant monitor. I have always been intrigued by electronics...

A Shoestring and a Prayer from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Elijah was a prophet of the Lord who lived during a troubled time in Israel. King Ahab was evil, and his wife Jezebel was a baal-worshipper who set out to kill all the Lord's prophets and promote pagan worship throughout their kingdom. Ahab and Jezebel were not restrained by normal reasoning or rules. When Ahab wanted a vineyard...

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 it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which...

Day by Day from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. All through Scripture, there is a pattern of the Lord taking a little and making it do a lot. He does it with people, like when young David faced the giant warrior Goliath. He does it with resources, like when a small jar of oil never runs out.  The worldview is often to hoard it and build bigger barns, but this is not how the Lord does...

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...