Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? Genesis 17:17 ESVAbraham lay on his face and laughed when God told him that he would soon have a son because he was almost one-hundred years old, and his wife Sarah was ninety. Still, the following year they had a son named Isaac....

if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13–14 WEB) July Newsletter - 2015 Hello there, Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on...

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, Reap according to kindness. Break up your fallow ground; For it is time to seek Yahweh, Until He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 WEBI grew up on a farm and over the long cold winter, the ground of the fields would become so hard that water would just run off of it like rock. The rain would no longer penetrate it. When spring came, we would have...

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things...

Fasting - A Lost Art Do you want see God move in your life? Have you ever felt like things have become stagnant and that the fire has gone out? Do you want to carry the power of the Holy Spirit everywhere you go? Then you need to know about fasting. Every Christian believes that you should pray, many believe in giving, but fasting is by large, a lost part of the Christian walk. I will share some...

Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:22 ESVDaniel had spent a long night in a den of lions. The stench of rotted meat and lion poo had to be pretty pungent. He had done nothing wrong and was just trying to serve God as best as...

 Luke Chapter 13 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 13 Outline:13:01-05 People who perished.13:06-09 The man seeking fruit.13:10-17 Jesus heals a bent woman.13:18-21 The kingdom of God.13:22-30 Who exactly are in the kingdom?13:31-33 That fox Herod.13:34-35 Jesus laments over Jerusalem. Fun Facts:— Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and has...

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 KJVJob went through a terrible time in his life where he lost everything, and as he sat in ashes with sores covering his body, his friends told him that it was because of his sinful life that this happened. This had to be a new low for Job who lived blameless and...

For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little. Isaiah 28:10 WEBWith little pieces of the jigsaw puzzle scattered all over the table, we began to try and assemble it. This one was seriously difficult because someone had mixed a couple of other puzzles together in the same box and there were pieces that did not belong. Fortunately we had a...

When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another. 2 Chronicles 20:22"He sure...

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 WEBJesus said that His sheep would hear His voice and that they would follow Him. "And a stranger, they would not follow" (John 10:5). God speaks to His people individually and collectively. Often we are so concerned on being deceived...

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38 ESVThe visiting speaker who had ridden in on a bus was in need of money and had delivered a great message. He was humble and I felt like his heart was in the right place. I had already paid my tithes for the...

He said, The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; You save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:1 ESVDavid sang this song to the Lord when he was delivered from all of his enemies. Where others...

 Luke Chapter 12 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 12 Outline:12:01-03 The leaven of the Pharisees.12:04-12 Live ready for judgment.12:13-21 The rich fool.12:22-34 Seek the Kingdom of God.12:35-40 The coming of the Son of man.12:41-48 The responsibility of servants.12:49-53 Fire on the earth.12:54-59 The signs of the times.Fun Facts:— Jesus called His...

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and 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, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand. John 10:26 ESVThe star of the show that we were watching took some really bad knocks and it looked like he was going down for...

Once Saved - Always Saved? While writing about the dangers of being lukewarm in one of my devotionals, I compared our relationship with God to a marriage relationship. In a good marriage, we do our part out of love for our spouse. Likewise, there are things we do as Christians, out of love for our Creator. After all, the church is believed to be the “Bride of Christ” and betrothed to...

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalms 50:1215 ESVA reader emailed us yesterday after I posted "A Stranger at the Diner", the...

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and dont know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; Revelation 3:15 WEBThe needle hurt when they gave me the shot. It was...

 Luke Chapter 11 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 11 Outline:11:1-4 Jesus teaches His disciples to pray.11:5-8 The friend at midnight.11:9-13 Asking and giving.11:14-26 Jesus and the evil spirits.11:27-28 True blessedness.11:29-32 The sign of Jonah.11:33-36 The light that is in you.11:37-41 True cleansing.11:42-44 Woe to the pharisees.11:45-54 Woe to the lawyers. Fun...

 Luke Chapter 10 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 10 Outline:10:1-12      The mission and the message.10:13-16    The doom of the Galilean cities that had rejected Jesus.10:17-20    The return of the seventy.10:21-24    Jesus is thrilled with joy.10:25-37    The good samaritan.10:38-42    Mary and...

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They dont toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, wont he much more clothe you, you of little faith? Therefore dont be anxious, saying, What will we eat?, What will we drink?...

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 ESVWhile at the beach one day, I watched some kids playing with a beach ball. They would hit it and it would soar into the air, but then gradually float back down to earth. The kids would hit it again, but gravity kept pulling the ball back to earth. Without some form of lift, the ball will always fall to the ground. Yet, if...

 Luke Chapter 9 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 9 Outline:9:1-6       Jesus sends out the twelve.9:7-9       Herod the tetrarch.9:10-17   The feeding of the five thousand.9:18-20   Peter’s confession.9:21-22   A prophecy of the passion.9:23-27   Taking up the cross.9:28-36 ...

And on the seventh day God finished his work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation. Genesis 2:2 ESVAfter coming home from church, I went straight to work on the new mail server. I kept hearing about not working on the sabbath day on...

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 3:16 ESVJust as a sponge filled with liquid is our heart within us. It absorbs all the hurts and pains in our life. Usually when we come to the Lord, it is filled with...

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11–12 NIV) June Newsletter - 2015   Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has...

He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Mark 14:36 WEBGrowing up in the Bible Belt as a child, my image of God was an angry, white-haired, lightning bolt wielding, disciplinarian that just waited on me to mess up. It was rare for me to go to church at all, but when I did visit the local baptist church, they showed movies like The Burning Hell with people like me on fire. God seemed sadistic...

Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed. So also My heavenly Father...

 Luke Chapter 8 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 8 Outline:8:1-3      Women contribute to the ministry of Jesus.8:4-15    The parable of the Sower.8:16-18  The parable of the lamp and the cover.8:19-21  The mother and brothers of Jesus seek Him out.8:22-25  The calming of the storm.8:26-39  The Gerasene demoniac.8:40-41...

But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, It is a ghost! and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:26 ESVThe wind...