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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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September 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 time to read it.
September went by pretty quickly for us and I happened to notice that it is now over and this newsletter is now late. We fasted the month of August...
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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...
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The Holy Spirit 3: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit 3: The Baptism of The Holy Spirit from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Note: There is an echo that starts about half way through the video. Sorry about that! Can't fix it.
Today I will share what I understand to be the truth about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and how you can receive it. In the first two parts...
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The Holy Spirit 2: Ignorance in the Church
The Holy Spirit 2: Ignorance in The Church from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is part 2 of our series on the Holy Spirit
The Lord told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:7–10:
“the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall...
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Numbers 13:33- We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.
Moses sends out 13 members of a group of leaders from the tribes of Israel as an exploration committee. They were charged with identifying whether the land was good, the people who lived there...
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August 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 time to read it.
Sylvia and I spent the month of August fasting and praying for fresh direction in RHM. We prefer to fast in the hotter months because it is yucky to...
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David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 WEBDavid was distressed. He and his men had wept until they no longer had the strength to weep. When they returned to their town, they had found it burned to the ground and all...
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Who is the Holy Spirit?
Who Is the Holy Spirit? from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is message one in a four part series on the Holy Spirit
So exactly who is the Holy Spirit?
He Was There In the Beginning: (Genesis 1:1–2 NKJV) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And...
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In His time
Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
I love to go birding! Have you ever watched an Eagle soar? It seems to be such a graceful effortless flight as they glide higher & higher in the heavens with little or no effort...
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They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 'Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.' But they didn't understand this saying. It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it Luke 9:43 WEBJesus told His disciples, 'Let these words sink...
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Giving - The Key to The Cell Door
Giving: The Key to the Cell Door from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
In Matthew 6:02 Jesus told us “When you give” and then He told us how, and how not to do it. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward...
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Now Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. Genesis 12:1 WEBAbram came to a crossroad in his life and had to make a choice: Obey God, or continue on with his life as it had been going. He was going to have to move...
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Fasting - A Lost Art of The Church
Fasting - A Lost Art of The Church from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is the recording from Refreshing Hope - Live, 08.15.2016. Here are the notes:
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...
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For you don't delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart. Psalms 51:16 WEBWhen I first came to the Lord, I was so ecstatic that I wanted to make up for everything that I had ever done wrong in the past. I enrolled in Bible college and like many others there,...
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When the praise goes up, the Glory comes down.
When The Praise Goes Up from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
This is a recording of the Refreshing Hope - Live meeting on 08.07.2016. Here are the notes:
When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he brought spiritual renewal to the land. He removed idols, set up honest, God fearing judges, and restored the Levites and priests. Their...
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See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! Psalms 133:1 WEBWood, I grew up around it. Often I was carrying it, sawing it, nailing it or pulling the splinters from my hands. My dad was a carpenter for fifty-five years, so I grew up with woodworking and I have always enjoyed building things. I find that is a valuable skill in our everyday life and am thankful for those...
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Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb says: 'I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by myself; Isaiah 44:24 WEBIn the Bible when someone was in trouble, danger, or in need, a male relative could 'redeem' them. This relative was called a 'kinsmen redeemer' and would step in and pay off their debt, buy back their property,...
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For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 2 Timmothy 1:6 WEBHave you ever felt a sense of dread come over you? Have you been afraid of that monster in the closet or under your bed? My older brother who had the driver's license, was a horror movie...
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When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalms 56:3 WEBTired and needing a rest, David had been on the run from Saul. His own father-in-law was seeking to kill him out of pure jealousy. Everything that David owned, he had to leave behind him. Now he was seeking refuge in Gath, a Philistine city whom...