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If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 WEB.I took one last draw and put the cigarette out. That was over twenty-five years ago and the last time I smoked. I grew up on a farm in the South and worked in tobacco. Everyone I knew smoked. Well, except for one pretty weird guy, and no one wanted to be like him. By the age of ten, I was smoking regularly, just like the rest...

If Tomorrow Never Comes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. For many years I was captivated by the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I studied charts, timelines, and scriptures and posted them on the wall like an ongoing investigation. I was anxiously waiting for the Lord to return. Then He began to impress on me how fleeting our lives are in His timeline. The Lord is not in a hurry...

Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let's exalt his name together. I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame. This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. Psalms 34:3'6 WEB.David was in the center of the enemies' camp, surrounded by relatives of men he had...

Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:30'31 WEB.I sat down on a bean bag in the corner of my prayer room and contemplated how we got here. We had been out of work for months while the bills piled...

Come now, and let us reason together, says Yahweh: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land Isaiah 1:18'19 WEB.As I looked out over the fresh snow covering our home, smoke slowly rose from the chimney. It was an extremely rare day in South Carolina when...

Holes in My Moneybag from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There are many things in scripture that have been misunderstood or blown out of proportion over the centuries. Two of them are prosperity and abundance. There are many promises of God concerning these, but it's a bit deeper than "name it and claim it" or "blab it and grab it." We have to be submissive to Him and obedient for His promises...

Rocky Ground from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One day, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who went out to sow seed. In those times, farmers would first scatter the seed and then come back and plow it into the ground. In a nutshell, Jesus Christ was the farmer, the seed being sown was the word of God, and the soil was the listener hearing His words. (Luke 8:5–8 NKJV)  "A sower...

Hezekiah prospered in all his works. However, concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:30'31 WEB.Hezekiah was a great king in Judah who followed the Lord closely. At his prayer, God sent an angel and wiped out 185,000 Assyrians who...

Now the Philistines had taken God's ark, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. The Philistines took God's ark, and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the people of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before Yahweh's ark. They took Dagon and set him in his place again. 1 Samuel 5:1'3 WEB.After the Philistines captured...

The Freedom Trail from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One morning when Jesus was teaching in the temple, the scribes and Pharisees were trying to trap Him in His words. They often tried to trap Jesus in no-win scenarios, but He was living wisdom. Once, they asked Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not (Matthew 22:17). If He said yes, He would become an enemy of the Jews and be...

Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Galatians 6:6'9 WEB.We were constructing a three-story office building and setting the...

Christ in You from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. After the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, a great chasm separated God and mankind. At first, the Lord anointed prophets and judges to guide the people like Moses, Deborah, and Samuel. He spoke through them, but later the people didn't like what He had to say.  So the people began stoning His prophets and sawing them in half. They...

Faith in Action from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One day when Jesus came ashore after crossing the sea of Galilee, Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, came to meet Him. Jairus begged Jesus to come and heal his daughter, who was at the point of death. Jesus went with him, but on the way, a life-changing event happened for someone else. There was a woman in the crowd who had been hemorrhaging...

Abundance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a coming wave of blessing over the Lord's people. The world will begin to see the difference between the wicked and the righteous in the days to come. It's time for the bride to shine. (Malachi 3:17–18 NKJV)  "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man...

They said to you that "In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts." These are they who cause divisions, and are sensual, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Jude 1:18'21 WEB.I sat...

I AM Coming Again from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. On the night of the last supper, after Judas Iscariot had left the room, Jesus had a discussion with the eleven apostles who remained. He knew Judas had left to betray Him and that His time left on Earth was short. So He said these words to comfort His disciples: (John 14:1–6 NKJV)  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe...

He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Luke 23:42'43 WEB.As they hung there bleeding on the crosses they had been nailed to, one of the two thieves beside Jesus asked Him to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Jesus replied, "Today, you will be with Me in paradise." So even after...

I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. John 10:28'29 WEB.We often worry about so many things in this life, but when all is stripped away, the fact remains that we are held in God's strong hands. When you give your life to Jesus and...

Tears in a Bottle from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Hezekiah, the king of Israel, became deathly ill from a boil, and the prophet Isaiah came to see him. He didn't bring good news. When Isaiah left, Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly. The Lord spoke to Isaiah before he got out of the courtyard. (2 Kings 20:4–5 NKJV)  And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle...

So Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of Yahweh's temple. She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Yahweh, weeping bitterly. 1 Samuel 1:9'10 WEB.Hannah poured out her heart to the Lord. She wanted a child so badly that the rest of her life seemed empty, and nothing else mattered. Her husband Elkanah loved...

The Storm Comes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live near the coast of South Carolina, and every year we have to prepare for hurricane season. When a major storm comes through, it can be devastating. The electricity may be out for a week, and the roads are often closed because of flooding or blocked with downed trees and power lines. We make certain we have a good supply of batteries,...

Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4'5 WEB.The ministry of Jesus, from the first recorded miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana...

The Great I Am from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses had been a shepherd for forty years in the land of Midian when the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. The bush was self-sustaining and wouldn't burn up. The Lord told Moses He had heard the cries of the Israelite people who were enslaved in Egypt. Then He said, "Come now, and I will send you." (Exodus 3:10). Then an interesting...

Jesus therefore answered them, "Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. John 5:19 WEB.Their eyes welled up with tears as I handed them the envelope. They knew what was inside of it, for though they had told no one, they had been silently praying for help. All the while, they were...

The Point of No Return from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus chose twelve men out of thousands of disciples, and He named them apostles (Luke 6:13). He taught them all things, gave them power over unclean spirits, and the ability to heal all manners of sickness and disease. (Luke 9:1–2 NKJV)  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over...

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10 WEB.It was another busy day with so much to do, so many bills, and a lot going on. The pressure and anxiety had kept me up most of the night. It seemed like I spent most of my time these days trying to solve tomorrow's problems before they got here, and don't even get me started on the...

When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me." 2 Kings 2:9 WEB.While walking down the road together, Elisha was just a humble servant to the mighty prophet Elijah. This prophet was renowned for calling fire down from heaven multiple times. His words had brought a drought on...

In a Little While from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When Joseph was a young boy of about seventeen years, God gave him a dream showing that he would be a ruler one day. But when Joseph told his brothers about it, they became jealous and angry. (Genesis 37:5–8 NKJV)  Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, "Please...

Wisdom in the Workplace from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. What if there was an edge you could have that would set you apart from anyone else in your field? If you had deeper insight and understanding than your peers, that caused you to stand out from the rest. Would you be interested? There is, and it's called wisdom. Wisdom is probably best defined as "the practical use of knowledge."...

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27 WEB.Jesus said His sheep would hear His voice, and they would follow Him, "and a stranger, they would not follow" (John 10:5). God speaks to His people individually as well as collectively. Some are so concerned about being deceived...