Recent Blog Entries
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RHM Devotional: Teach a Man to Fish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about listening to the Holy Spirit, instead of relying on someone else to tell you what He said you should do. We need to get to a place in our walk where we can discern what the Holy Spirit is tryi... -
being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 WEBIt was late Saturday night and we were both exhausted. A simple job that should have taken us a couple of hours, had now taken a couple of days, but we had chos...
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One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is...
Restoration
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Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 2 Samuel 12:24 ESV
David and Bathsheba were the talk of town. They had an affair, she became pregnant, and on top of that, Bathshebas husband Uriah had been killed in the process. This was worse than most church scandals today. Though David went through a very bad time because of his actions, God restored them all. They got married, had a son named Solomon, and the LORD loved him. All three of them are in the lineage of Jesus. God loved David before and after this incident, but he did have to repent to move forward.
In my own life, the Lord told me to prepare myself for ministry. I went through Bible college, earned my degree, and looked forward to a bright future. Later though, I had to endure a long messy divorce, which brought out the worst in everyone involved. Wrecked and humbled, I was convinced that the ministry path had ended, that the ship had sailed, so I concentrated on my computer business. Years later when He was ready, or I was, He dried up the computer business and pushed me straight into the ministry because it was the only path open. Now, I am here writing this devotional and using the skills that I learned during that time of preparation.
People fall, they repent, and God restores them. If you have made mistakes in your life, know that you are in good company. Repent, and don't worry about the disapproval of those around you. Even though David and Bathsheba are in the lineage of Jesus, they would probably not be welcome in many local churches.
Likewise, be kind to those around you who have fallen. Often we will hang on to what they have done forever, long after the Lord has forgiven them. Though what they have done may have been as serious as David's sin or even worse, you do not want bitterness to live in you.
Face it, life is messy. People are not perfect and sometimes they are seriously flawed. Still, if they truly repent, God will restore them. If you have fallen, repent and get up. This is not the end. Though the righteous fall seven times, they get up because God restores the fallen.
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This is a message of hope to all who have strayed from the path. This encourages me so when I look back to those times on my journey that have not been the prettiest in my life to say the least. Not without consequences, as David was not without them, but being forgiven so that your heart is made right with God is such a gift of love it can never be repaid. We serve such a forgiving, loving God. I am in awe at how much he loves me.
I am printing this one! Of Course we all make mistakes---we are HUMAN! We are all running the same race!I tried telling my parents this (I also was pregnant when I was married) But all I got in reply was, "You have to defend us! Blood is thicker than water!" (bull!) Everyone.has ghosts. Some people just hide them better than others.
Blessings, Kathy
God never moves from us, no matter what our circumstances are. Our relationship can change when we do our own thing. Gods will for us is to live in peace and have joy while we live there. God sees us as a special treasure to Him. It breaks His heart when we do our own thing without Him. He just wants us to turn around and go a diffrent direction and stay in a awesome relationship with Him. I have learned from doing my own thing apart from God is not a peaceful life. The Holy Spirit is in me to teach me through Gods word, how to stay in a relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the hardest things for me is to not worry about things. To believe that God is in control and to act on that belief. I know I can't worry and have peace at the same time. I pray that I will stay in a relationship with Jesus, and know, that is Gods desire. If I chose to not have that relationship, He will not force me back, That is my choice to restore my relationship with Him. Thank God He still love me no matter what happens.
Yes, He does. I had an uncle that didn't ever want anyone praying for him when he got sick. He told the pastor of our church and that time, he could just leave. He got better, by God's Grace, but later got cancer and there was nothing the doctors could do. So he sent word for that preacher to please come pray for his soul, because he wanted to receive Jesus has his Savior. My uncle was fortunate that we had such a loving pastor and he came to his home and prayed with him and he accepted Jesus as His Savior. This really shows me just how much Jesus is not willing to let us fall and stay down, but He will lift us up.
Praise be to You God, our Lord and Savior for You never rest and hear each plea for forgiveness in the light of day and in the darkest hours before dawn. Whenever we feel the sudden pain of guilt You are waiting to hear our voice pleading. You feel our shame and weep for us.
Praise be to You sweet Jesus for wearing our sins and not running from our Father's disappointment and His judgment poured upon You. You saved us from ourselves then, now and forever.
Thank you Abba for the amazing grace You bathe us in. For loving us in spite of the constant hurt and disappointment You suffer for our endless sin. We know You weep the tears of a heart broken father for our thoughtlessness, greed, lies and deceit. You forgive when we don't deserve forgiveness and love us in spite of it all.
Please, Father and Son and Holy Spirit help us choose to honor You through our actions here on earth and show those who don't believe that You are real and alive by our actions. Amen
Church...a place for sinners. If I was perfect I wouldn't need church or God. Yet the other are people who are in church ready to judge each one coming in the door such as do not sit in their pew. I understood long ago people purchased their pews and had brass plate with their names on it. So they need Jesus. I worked with homosexuals in a ministry along with being secretary to the headquarters man in that position. Walls lined in books. Idle moment I'd be reading. All interesting and helpful to my own understanding. Help women in a group setting and some callers on phone. They came to my church with my boss. Teaching was given in the fullest for understanding which many churches lacked therefore would see it as the worse sin possible. Sin is sin so no differences. True no positions held by them. Their walks and healings were continually the forefront of their walk with Christ. I was grateful to be on inside of that and learn. Most of all meet the men & women struggling with it as many sins that truly imprison people. If they walked away back into it we would pray for them & know they are in God's hands. My early days I was on the streets and hear God calling me into the church I had attended in younger. God was so caring and persistent. I was His piece of work in the happening and suffered some of my bad choices yet He was there & blow my mine. What a God!!
Amen! It's not how you start the race that matters, but whether you finish or not. Like a boxer who falls many times, we must keep getting up and stay in the battle until it's done! The enemy wants us to stay down and give up and will lie to us that we're worthless and done for - just like he lied to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Their son Cain murdered Abel. Imagine how Adam and Eve felt after this, remembering the lie of the devil and now where it has brought them. Yes, their lives became real messy. God says in Romans 3:23, "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," however, we are now "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..." Don't believe the liar, the devil, believe God who says we have been forgiven and we should believe it, rejoice, repent and go tell others of our joy and salvation in Him - the Good News!!
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