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) ...

By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly...

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...

For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet from the south, comes exaltation. But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another. Psalm 75:6-7 WEB.During a personal time of revival in my life, I began to fast and pray hard for the Lord to remove anything holding me back from being closer to Him. I was thinking spiritually, but it turns out that the Lord is a bit more practical than...

The Servant from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord Jesus Christ is eternal and has been here since the beginning of time. He was here when the Earth was formed and will be here when it is rebooted. He is the Commander of the army of the Lord and has legions of angels available (Joshua 5:14). That is why He could tell the apostles this:  (Matthew 26:53 NKJV)  ...do you think...

Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men." They immediately left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18'20 WEB.As Jesus walked down by the seashore, He saw Peter and his brother Andrew. He told them to follow Him....

Whine and Fish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Children are notorious for whining and tend to have short memory spans. They forget what you did for them last week, and the most important thing on Earth is what they want right now. They are often greedy and selfish. It's a sign of immaturity.  When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they behaved like children. One day they are singing...

Beauty for Ashes from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We live in an age of smiling despair. Like a whitewashed tomb, everything looks fine on the outside, but inside us, there is a pile of dead dreams. The things we struggle with seem overwhelming, and we don't feel strong enough to face them. The enemy wants you to get tired and quit. To make you feel like you just can't win this time, for...

Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun. Psalm 37:4-6 WEB.Once while performing a deed search on some property, we found a tax lien had been filed against us by the state for several thousand dollars. After...

The Prize Fighter from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. While on his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul spent 18 months in a town called Corinth. It was one of the wealthiest and the most immoral of the ancient cities, and Paul's letters contain several stern corrections to them, including one church member who was "having" his father's wife (1 Corinthians 5:1).  Paul established...

But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12 WEB.When I showed up at a church workday event, the job that got assigned to me was scrubbing all the bathrooms: upstairs, downstairs, and down the hall. I did not remember the church having that many bathrooms.Though I was tempted to complain...

Seeking or Circling from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When the descendants of Abraham were enslaved in Egypt, the Lord sent Moses to bring them out of there. The Egyptian Pharaoh wasn't up for the idea initially, but the Lord changed his mind by sending a series of plagues on Egypt without harming the Hebrews living there. After Egypt was in shambles, Pharaoh changed his mind and let them...

Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24'25 WEB.When I was little and stayed with my mom for the summer, she took us to the beach. My brother and I built a giant sandcastle...

Bible Study: The Gospel of John, Chapter 2 from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today, we are going to study John chapter 2 in depth. You can follow along in your own Bible if you like. I will be reading from the World English Bible because it is the only modern English translation that is copyright-free. I can read the entire Bible on video and upload it to the Internet without any legal drama...

My Redeemer from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The book of Ruth is about a woman who lost her husband while they were living in Moab. Naomi, her mother-in-law, had lost her husband and both of her sons. After their death, Naomi returned home to Bethlehem as a childless widow with no income or means of support. Widows with no children to support them were among the lowest, most disadvantaged...

Running on Empty from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The great Apostle Peter was one of the first disciples of Jesus and became one of His closest companions. Peter was nearly always with Jesus, and one of the inner three, along with James and his brother John. They were with Jesus even when the other Apostles were left behind.  Peter watched Jesus transform into His gleaming heavenly...

Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and your words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 1 Samuel 15:24 WEB.The Lord sent Saul, the king of Israel, on a quest, but he failed because of his fear of man. He told Saul through the prophet Samuel to completely wipe out the Amalekites. Yet, Saul conveniently "overlooked" the command of the...

Much Ado About Nothing from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus Christ pulled the veil back on the spirit realm and revealed the hidden kingdom of darkness and hordes of demons that live inside of people they call their "houses." What entitled fiends. They are like squatters that move in, act as if they own the place, and began bossing others around.  (Matthew 12:43–45 NKJV) ...

When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn't allow them. Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia...

2022 Year-End Wrapup from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries and taking time out of your day to read or watch this message. I hope this finds you blessed, warm, safe, and happy wherever you happen to be. This is our year-end newsletter, and I wanted to update you on what has been happening...

Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for...

Little Lamb from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Have you ever wondered what it was like to be on Earth the night Jesus was born? What was the world like then? What do we know about it? Well, things were complicated. It was a difficult time.  Under Julius Caesar, Rome had expanded to a vast empire that spanned from Egypt to England, which was called Britannia. Then came Caesar Augustus....

Yahweh restored Job's prosperity when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 WEB.There was a man named Job who went through a terrible trial. He suddenly lost everything, including his children, his servants, and his livestock. His wealth vanished. Then he became sick and was covered in painful sores and boils from head to foot. His health vanished.As Job...

Widespread Revelation from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Sometimes we take great things in life for granted and don't even miss them until they are gone. Good health, loved ones, friends, a roof that doesn't leak, beautiful days, and the word of God. Those that have never experienced them may not even realize how precious and hard to recover they can be once lost.  An interesting story...

Which commandment is the greatest of all? Jesus answered, "The greatest is, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than...

Hidden Power from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The prophet Elijah knew things about prayer that we could learn from. When King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were wickedly leading the nation into worshiping baal and killing off the Lord's prophets, Elijah came out of nowhere and boldly confronted them with a word from the Lord:  (1 Kings 17:1 NKJV)  And Elijah the Tishbite, of the...

They told Esther's words to Mordecai. Then Mordecai asked them to return this answer to Esther: "Don't think to yourself that you will escape in the king's house any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows if you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"...

Wrestling with God from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Men like Abraham and Joseph yield immediately to God's call, but others are people of conflict, like Jacob and Jonah. Though we want to be part of God's plan, we struggle independently, using our own strength until the Lord wrestles it from us.  Jacob was a man of conflict like many of us. There was both good and bad within him....

Be Thankful from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Always remember to be thankful for what God has done for you. Jesus Christ lived on Earth as our example, and He was graceful, thankful, and filled with praise. We should try and live like that, for no matter what we have been through, there are still some things we can be thankful for. An important one is that you woke up again today. For some...

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!...