“He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, To love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 WEB March Newsletter - 2016 Hello there, Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has been happening here during the last month and I thank you for taking...

Amos 5:4-5: This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.    Seek the Lord in all things. You would think that would be all that it took for Amos to say to us through the Holy Spirit. Why did the Spirit speak to Amos about...

1 Chronicles 22:2-4: So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. he provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and...

Yahweh said to Joshua, Get you up; why are you thus fallen on your face? Joshua 7:10 WEBJoshua lay on his face before the Lord while praying. Israel had sinned and as a result, they had lost the battle at the small town of Ai. The first town that they had come to in the promised land was Jericho. The walls fell down after marching around it seven times, and it was not a difficult battle.They were supposed...

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 NIV  I have a confession to make... I once didn't talk to my mom for five long years! The same Mom who hugged me when I...

1 Chronicles 25: 3- As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.  Prophesying is about speaking into life that which the Lord speaks to you directly. It is about the future, and to affect the lives of others. There are many...

     “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace...

  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3: 5-8       According to Merriam-Webster, Trust is defined as the ‘belief...

Isaiah 30:25:On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. The day of the great slaughter is the day Jesus was crucified. He brought down the towers that held the law of the pharisees. The law was meant to condemn, and the blood of Jesus flows to forgive. Through Jesus, we have the source of life,...

If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light. Luke 11:36 WEBAfter viewing the marble statue of David, someone asked Michelangelo, 'How did you know what to cut away?' The sculptor answered, 'It's simple, I just remove everything that doesn't look like David.' He knew what the statue should...

1 Chronicles 21: 1-3: Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.  But Joab replied, May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why...

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness Luke 4:1 WEBI would not be here, if I had not been there. So many times in our life we can look back and say those words. Where we were when we met our spouse, and how narrow a time frame that it was. Taking a job that we did not really like, only to find that it was a stepping stone for something...

The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' John 1:29 WEBDo you ever feel guilt or shame over something in your past? Is there something haunting you and saying, 'God is mad at you because'' or 'You are not worthy to do this?' That is the enemy trying to immobilize you and keep you from doing God's will. That is what he does, he...

Romans 8:24: For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? Romans 4:18: Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."   Hoping in what is yet to come is what we must do continually. When we hope for something that we already...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already John 3:16 WEBWhat an amazing piece of scripture. God sent His Son Jesus...

Colossians 1:16: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. There are no conferences, no award ceremonies, no star studded events for the scalpel. A scalpel is one of the most important instruments a surgeon has to perform his work. When someone...

About your heart... There are many Bible verses discussing the heart because God’s word is clear that the condition of your heart is critical in your walk with the Lord. [Proverbs 4:23] "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." [Proverbs 3:5]  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" [Mathew 6:21] "for where your...

Yahweh said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, won't it be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.' Genesis 4:6 WEBCain got angry because the Lord had no regard for the offering that he had brought, but did to Abel's offering. After Cain became very angry, the Lord told him that...

Exodus 4:12: Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. I tell people this all the time, but it is the truth. I have blessed more people on accident then on purpose. I could go out one day with the idea that I am going to pray healing prayers over everyone I see. I can get so pumped up and put bibles in my backpack, and some provisions for the homeless, as well as a mouthful of...

He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, 'Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' Mark 8:34 WEBIf you will just keep following Jesus one day at a time, no power on earth can stop you because the Father is mightier than all. He created the universe, the earth, the stars, as well as us. He is not called 'The Almighty'...

Romans 5:15-16: But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses, and brought...

Jonah 4:4: But the Lord replied, Have you any right to be angry? Luke 15:31-32: My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Ever feel like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son? or Jonah after the Father has compassion on the...

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 WEBI know a dad that once bought his son a car because he had taken a turn for the better. Not very long after this, his son got a DUI with the car and the dad took it back and sold it. I don't blame the dad and may have done the same, but often our gifts are more of a bonus or a reward than an actual gift.Many times when we give gifts...

Day 40 Love is a Covenant Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.  – Ruth 1:16   Congratulations. You’ve reached the end of the Love Dare – the book. But the experience and challenge of loving your mate is something that never comes to an end. It goes on for the rest of your life. This...

Day 39 Love Endures Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:8   Of all the things love dares to do, this the ultimate. Though threatened, it keeps pursuing. Though challenged, it keeps moving forward. Though mistreated and rejected, it refuses to give up. Love never fails. Many times when a marriage is in crisis, the spouse who is trying to make things work will go to the other,...

Day 38 Love Fulfills Dreams Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.  – Psalm 37:4   What is something your spouse would really, really love?  And how often do you ask yourself that question? Common sense tells us we can’t give our wife or husband everything they might like.  Our budgets and account balances...

Day 37 Love Agrees in Prayer If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by May Father.  – Matthew 18:19   If someone told you that by changing one thing about your marriage, you could guarantee with near 100 percent assurance that your life together would significantly improve, you would at least want to know what it was. And...

Day 36 Love is God's Word Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  – Psalm 119:105   For some people, the Bible seems just too big to understand.  It’s like an impossible challenge.  They don’t know where or how to begin.  But as a Christian, you’re not left alone to try grasping the major themes and deep meanings...

Day 35 Love is Accountable Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.  – Proverbs 15:22   Mighty sequoia trees tower hundreds of feet in the air and can withstand intense environmental pressures.  Lightning can strike them, fierce winds can blow, and forest fires can rage around them.  But the sequoia endures, standing firm, only...

Day 34 Love Celebrates Godliness [Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.  – 1 Corinthians 13:6   From the moment you close your Bible in the morning nearly everything else you’ll encounter throughout the day will be luring you away from its truths. The opinions of your coworkers, the news coverage on television, your typical Websites,...