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  • 13 hours ago
    Posted by Dion Todd
    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...
  • Wed at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    In the same hour, the fingers of a man's hand came out and wrote near the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. The king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's face was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his thighs were loosened, and ...
  • Tue at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this ma...
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  • March 25, 2022 - led by Lynn Brown
    This is a group for RHM sponsored events like corporate fasts. Everyone is welcome to join and participate in things currently going on in the ministry. We love you and thank you for being a part of Refreshing Hope!
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The Plain Brown Wrapper

  • It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth. She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn Luke 2:6 WEB.

    The greatest gift that God ever gave mankind spent His first hours laying in a feeding trough for animals. Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in strips of cloth herself which meant that it was a lonely birth without others to help her. There was no room for them at the inn. It was a picture of poverty, obscurity, and rejection. The greatest event in history went almost unnoticed by those around it.

    God is so secure in Himself that He does not need to impress anyone and His word makes it clear that the pride of a man makes him blind to all that God has for him. The wisdom of man is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:10). God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

    How many times have we missed what God has for us because we felt that it was beneath us. Looking back over my life, God gave me the greatest opportunities, wrapped in an humble, plain looking, brown paper wrapping. It looked beneath me, and my flesh wanted to complain and tell the people how important that I really was.

    Once after being laid off from a high paying job (for me), I ended up drawing unemployment and could not find another job anywhere. I spent a lot of my time alone on the Waccamaw river fishing and listening to the Bible. During the last week of my unemployment, I was fishing and I prayed earnestly, 'Lord, I need a job. Anything, just open a door. I only want to be able to listen to Your word.' Soon after praying I caught the biggest large mouth bass that I had ever caught in my life. It was on the last cast of my last fishing trip that year.

    The next day a temp service called and said that they had an opening at 'Miracle Finishing' for a brass polisher and they wanted me to go talk to the manager. The following day, I pulled up in my Toyota Supra wearing a black leather jacket and shades to find that it was a loud, dirty, hole in the wall housed in a hundred year old brick building. All the employees except the manager were temps, addicts, and almost homeless, living day to day.

    It was extremely hot in August and giant ghetto blasters roared above the already deafening machines in a dimly lit building. Car-sized belt sanders ran with no guards in place and would cut off limbs if you bumped into them. Sometimes the buffing machine would snatch the part away and then fire it back at you, knocking you down. People sometimes smoked pot at the machines, and the manager came in hungover everyday. Everyone there was just living for another Friday to come. It was a dirty, dark, hole-in-the-wall and everyone was covered in black smut from the machines. The job paid a third of what my last job had. Everything in my flesh screamed, 'No, this is beneath me!'

    I walked up to the manager and the first thing that he said was: 'Are you ready to start? Better bring something to listen to as it can get really boring in here.' At that moment the Holy Spirit brought my prayer back to remembrance and said: 'This is what you Me asked for.' Through clenched lips I told the manager 'Yep.'

    The turnover rate was infinite because most people did not last a week, many even left before their first lunch break. But I knew that it was God's will for me to be there, though it was still hard to keep my pride under control. 'I deserve better than this' was always just a thought away.

    I soon made it into a game of working for God Himself, and became a model employee. Bright, shining, and always early, my workspace was the cleanest in the building. I went home each day as black as smut from the polishing compound. My skin took on a greenish tint from the brass dust. My brother would stop by now and then and ask me, 'Dion, what in the world are you doing here?' and I would tell him, 'It is where God wants me at the moment.'

    I fasted as much as I ate, listened to the Bible all day, and prayed in the spirit while just grinding out part after part. I started out running 300 parts a day, but was soon running 7,500. It was a mindless task of repetition, and it allowed me to meditate on scripture while working. I began to love it.

    After several months, one day I suddenly felt oil being poured over my head and spun around thinking that someone was pulling a prank on me, but there was no one there. The Lord had anointed me for something new. That was a turning point in my life, and things began to change around me.

    When I humbled myself and followed the path that the Lord revealed to me, He raised me up quickly. I went straight to the top and became the manager. After that He pushed me into my own computer business for the next decade, and then on into ministry using the skills and testimonies that I learned along the way.

    A long time later when God began to shut my computer business down and I was unemployed again, I showed up for a church workday event. The only job left was to scrub all the bathrooms and toilets. No one had chosen to do that one. I sensed that God was setting me up and I did it wholeheartedly as if I were working for the Lord. I left those bathrooms sparkling behind me. About a month after, the Lord put me into full-time ministry.

    These were humble doors that one would easily avoid, but it was His path for me. I can honestly say that the humble door hides a great future and so many will pass it by while waiting for that management position to open that they so deserve. Be watchful and guard your mind. Learn that when the flesh begins to squeal, that it is probably God beginning to move.

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, I seek Your path for me. Let me see through Your eyes and fulfill Your every desire in my life. I yield to You and pray that You guide my every step. I want what You want for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

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18 comments
  • 1
Schalk  de Beer
Schalk de Beer

Yes Lord, let your will be done in my life. 

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Jim Jarrell
Jim Jarrell

Yes Lord, The chance to follow your will should be the cry of all our hearts. Just lead us and teach us to follow!

April 1, 2017
  • 1
David and Dianna Wyles
David and Dianna Wyles Prayer: Heavenly Father, I seek Your path for me. Let me see through Your eyes and fulfill Your every desire in my life. I yield to You and pray that You guide my every step. I want what You want for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen Thank you  
April 1, 2017
  • 1
Stacie Chambers-Franklin
Stacie Chambers-Franklin

Wow! Ah-may-zing!!!

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Barbara Jackson
Barbara Jackson

Pastor, you are representing GOD this beautiful morning. All I can say is thank you JESUS. 

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Rebecca Adkins
Rebecca Adkins

Amen 

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Lynn Brown
Lynn Brown

I  want what You want for me Lord. Give me the wisdom and strength to follow. Amen.

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Kay Collinsworth
Kay Collinsworth

Amen

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Carol Pady
Carol Pady

Amen. Many years ago I was a waitress, what a humbling position that was. I learned you truly can not please everyone. I had drunks come in and holler at me, cussing and calling me names. The cooks would get mad if I had to ask them to re-cook something due to my mistake or theirs. The manager was always barking out orders and we were even forced to do regular janitorial work along with our waiting tables. All for two dollars and fifteen cents an hour! Well below minimum wage, because they claimed, we made tips that made up the difference. I was stiffed sometimes, or tipped well below the percentage by people who were either ignorant to our low pay, or just not generous. Yet in that job, I found people that were hurting and that was why they were mean at times. I learned to humble myself, to not take offense and just treat them all with kindness. One elderly lady in particular was so difficult that no one wanted to serve her. I took her everytime I was able and I found out through my waiting on her many times that she was a miserable broken lonely woman. I never spoke to her about Jesus, I just loved on her, and listened to her. Everyone was amazed by how kind she was to me.

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Debbie Stiner
Debbie Stiner

Thank you for today's message.  Thy will be done dear Lord today and every day.

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Linda Clark
Linda Clark

Amen praise God for his love 

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Diane Symborski✝
Diane Symborski✝

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I seek Your path for me. Let me see through Your eyes and fulfill Your every desire in my life. I yield to You and pray that You guide my every step. I want what You want for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. <3

 

Pastor Dion, thank you for todays devotion. :-)

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Marisa Jackson
Marisa Jackson

What a powerful testimony.  Amen!!

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Scott Riegelmann
Scott Riegelmann

Amen thanks so much pastor Dion you are a very good writer and I can learn from your devotionals < God is soooooo good all the TIME my mind can not comprehend his knowledge but I love learning more about him and his will for my life . Gods best to u all today sincerely Scott R.

 

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Wesley Paulus
Wesley Paulus

Amen! Pastors prayer, Heavenly Father, I seek your path for me. Let me see through your eyes and fulfill your every desire in my life. I yield to you and pray that you guide my every step. I want what you want for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I prayAmen!!

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Janet Marsh-Lord
Janet Marsh-Lord

Pastor Dion what an amazing testimony of honesty and perseverence. Thank you.... I pray the Pastors prayer: Heavenly Father, I seek Your path for me. Let me see through your eyes and fulfill Your every desire in my life. I yield to You and pray that You guide my every step. I want what You want for me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.Amen.

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Loriann Riley
Loriann Riley

Amen Pastor Dion living example of preservance.

April 1, 2017
  • 1
Cheryl Hepler
Cheryl Hepler

What a blessing!!

April 2, 2017