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“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12: 1
When I think of Abram whom later was called Abraham by God (Genesis 17: 4); he was just a man whom God asked to do many things out of his ‘comfort zone’ so I believe he had to...
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Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened...
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And Elijah said to her, Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth. 1 Kings 17:13 ESVAs I listened to the preacher pray...
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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 WEBThe ministry of Jesus from the first recorded miracle of turning water into wine, until His resurrection...
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Moses said to the people, 'Don't be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again. Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.'
Yahweh said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.' Exodus 14:13 WEBMoses and the Israelite people...
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What Time is it? Part 2: Surrounded By Armies
What Time is it? Part Two: Surrounded By Armies from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is part 2 of our series on end time beliefs. In this section, I want to take a deeper look at Matthew 24, and compare it to history. If you have a Bible, turn there and follow along. We want to see “Who will be surrounded by armies?”...
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He said, 'Come!' Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' Matthew 14:29 WEBAs Peter walked across the surface of the water, the...
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Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?' He said, 'Certainly...
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Acts 18:6-10: But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the lord, and...
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God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink. Genesis 21:19 WEBHours went by while I struggled with a bug in the annoying computer program, until I finally gave up and walked out to get away from it for a bit. Why did this have to be so difficult, I thought. This should have been a ten minute job, but I have spent all day on it. All...
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What Time is it? Part 1 Intro
What Time Is It? Part One from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This week we will be starting a new series titled “What Time Is It?”
As many of you know, when I was young and starting out with the Lord, I was completely consumed with eschatology, the study of end time events. I had my walls covered with charts, timelines, and scriptures....
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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 it was rock. The rain would no longer penetrate the crust but just ran through...
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“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.” Jeremiah 29:11
This year has been such an emotional year for me, late last year I began to experience some severe pain in my lower back and abdominal area. After going through many...
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Faith Hope and Love: Love
Faith, Hope, & Love: Part 3 from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This week we will be covering part three of our series on Faith, Hope, and Love.
Love ləv/ noun 1. an intense feeling of deep affection.
Synonyms: deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment; devotion, adoration, compassion, caring, charity,...
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When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers 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 to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy each other. 2 Chronicles 20:22 WEB'God sure seems...
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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. Some are so concerned on being deceived that...
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Faith Hope and Love: Hope
This week we continue our series on Faith, Hope, and Love. I want to make it very clear what hope actually is and remove the vagueness that we tend to toss around these words. First a definition: Hope /hōp/ noun1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.And the opposite:Hopeless - noun:a : having no expectation of good or success...
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Special Update: The Day the Lights Went Out in Conway
Hello everyone,
Thank you for being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. As you may have noticed, over the last few days the devotional stopped coming, and the website was down. This was because Hurricane Matthew passed directly over our town. The storm caused massive flooding, downed power lines, broken utility poles and...
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Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad. He asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, 'Why do you look so sad today?' They said to him, 'We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.' Joseph said to them, 'Don't interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.' The chief cupbearer told his dream...
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Faith Hope and Love Part 1: Faith
Faith, Hope and Love, Part 1: Faith from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This week we will be starting a new series on Faith, Hope, and Love. I hope to make this as simple as possible. To do that, I am going to cover what a life of faith, a life of hope, and a life of love looks like.
The definition of Faith: Complete trust or confidence in someone or...
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Acts 3:2-5: Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something...
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The Birthday of The Church
The Birthday of the Church from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
We just finished our series on the Holy Spirit. This week I want to talk about the first birthday of the Church. Jesus ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit descended on His followers in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost. This was when “The Church” was born and about 3,000...
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For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:16 WEBJust 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...
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Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your...
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When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It's a ghost!' and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Cheer up! It is I! Don't be afraid.' Peter answered him and said, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.' He said, 'Come!' Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. Matthew 14:26...
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Matthew 18:33-34:Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
Ephesians 4:31-32:Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ...
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Isaiah 45:9- "Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?
Some days it would seem the world is against us. For those of us who pray every day and look to the Lord for all things, these days can feel long, tough, and...
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The Holy Spirit 4: The Gifts of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit 4: The Gifts of the Spirit from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is part four of our series on the Holy Spirit. In our previous messages, we covered “Who is the Holy Spirit, Ignorance about the Holy Spirit, and The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” This message covers “The Gifts of the Spirit.”
Now the...
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After a little while again those who stood by said to Peter, 'You truly are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.' But he began to curse, and to swear, 'I don't know this man of whom you speak!' The rooster crowed the second time. Peter remembered the word, how that Jesus said to him, 'Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.' When he thought about that,...
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They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you, says Yahweh, to rescue you. Jeremiah 1:19 WEBThings were finally going well in our computer business. We had one particularly large client with multiple locations that took up all the time that we could give them. For the first time in forever, we could work all that we wanted and they loved us. We even had our own...