Recent Blog Entries

  • Wed at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances, "Don't handle, nor taste, nor touch" (all of which perish with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men? These things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imp...
  • Tue at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son. 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 2:6-7 WEB.While his wife gave birth in a stable, the strong smell of farm anima...
  • Nov 26
    Posted by Dion Todd
    Walk on Water from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. An extraordinary event unfolds in Matthew chapter 14, one that is unparalleled elsewhere in the Bible: a common fisherman defying the laws of nature by walking on water. This miraculous feat wasn't performed by Jesus, but rather by Peter, a ...
View All
  • 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!
View All

Ultimate Obedience

  • Ultimate Obedience from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

    Sacrifice. If the Lord asked you to give up, surrender, give away, something precious to you. Would you be willing? In the book of Genesis, Abraham had waited many long years for him and Sarah to have a child. God had made them a promise and even told them that his name would be Isaac (Genesis 17:19). Isaac means "he laughed" because they grew so old that the dream seemed impossible. The next time God brought the subject up, Sarah began laughing at Him (Genesis 18:12).

    Abraham and Sarah waited and waited for their promised child to be born. Finally, when Abraham was one-hundred, and Sarah was ninety years old, she conceived, and they had a son. They named him Isaac. He was a joy to them,  a wonderful son who brought them laughter in their old age. The family lived happily together, and Isaac grew to be a teenager of about sixteen years. Then God suddenly asked the unthinkable:

    (Genesis 22:1–3 NASB)  Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey…

    Would God ask him to give up his precious son he had waited for decades to have, his only heir? Apparently so. It is hard to even imagine what Abraham must have felt. Scripture tells us that it was a test, but He didn't tell Abraham that. He didn't tell Abraham why, and Abraham didn't have the examples in the Bible to read like we have, for He was a pioneer in the faith. Child sacrifice was practiced by the pagan religions around him. To Abraham, this request was as real as it gets.

    Abraham rose early in the morning, took Isaac, some wood, and set off for mount Moriah, where Solomon's temple would later be built. Abraham believed that God's word to him would come to pass somehow, someway. He believed that even if Isaac died, God would resurrect him from the dead. Abraham believed in the resurrection before there was a resurrection. He was a man of incredible faith. They made the long journey. Abraham bound his son Isaac with ropes, laid him on a makeshift altar of wood, and picked up a knife to kill him. As Abraham began his swing, an angel of the Lord stopped him. Then the Lord told him this:

    (Genesis 22:15–18 NASB)  Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

    When Abraham heeded the Lord's voice and surrendered Isaac, the Lord gave him back, but then came so much more. He intensely blessed Abraham and his descendants so that all the nations on Earth would be touched by him. All because Abraham had not withheld something precious that the Lord asked him to give up.

    We read this, and it is a courageous story of faith. Way to go, Abraham! But how does it affect us? What I want you to know is that the Heavenly Father we pray to is the same God that asked Abraham to make that sacrifice for Him, and He sacrificed His own Son for us. He will test your faith, your obedience, and ask you to give up things you would rather keep without telling you why.

    Faith is like a muscle. It only grows only when exercised. Abraham had his faith stretched to the utter limit, yet he held firm, and his faith became the prime example listed in the book of Hebrews. Growing in faith involves testing it, stretching it. The Lord wants to know if we have real faith or merely words.

    When I was around twenty years old, through personal prophecy, the Lord told me that I would be in the ministry one day. I already knew this in my heart, so this was just a confirmation. I took it seriously and did all that I could to prepare for ministry. I went through Bible College and got ordained. I prayed, fasted, and listened to the Bible 24/7. But years later, when I graduated, all the doors in ministry seemed closed. I ended up working on computers for the next twenty years and started my own repair business.

    Eventually, our computer business dried totally up. We spent six months with no work, having to charge our bills on credit cards. Finally, the week that we were sorting things to move out of our home, I went into my room to pray, and I had a vision of me climbing into a boxing ring and putting on the gloves. That Friday, I was pushed into full-time ministry as a pastor using the computer skills that I had learned along the way.

    The new job as a pastor seemed made just for me. I had a wonderful boss, a generous salary, great hours, a peaceful work environment. It was the best job I'd ever had. I was able to be in God's Word every day, and I began writing daily devotionals, which we sent out using a mail server farm I built for us. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord had put me there. It had been twenty years in the making, but now things were finally coming together.

    A year passed. I began to have vivid dreams I didn't understand. In one, the boss ran our car off the road and plowed through a line of seven crosses while laughing hysterically. The dreams came like nightmares over several weeks, each more intense than the last. Each dream was built on the previous one in the series. Our car, which was a beaten-up jalopy by then, was finally destroyed in a fiery crash during the seventh dream. But when the people around saw what had happened, they gathered together and began building me another one. The replacement car resembled a 67' Corvette fastback. It was only primer gray then, but you could tell it would be fast and beautiful when completed.

    The dreams were disturbing but made no sense to me at the time. I prayed about them a lot but heard nothing until the seventh dream came. The following morning during prayer, He said, "I want you to step down." Well, you could have slapped me. It was the best job that I'd ever had, I knew He had put me there, and the only one that seemed to have a problem with it was Him! I had no other job to go to, but the feeling would not leave, and it kept me up at night.

    We pray for His will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Well, what do you have to do when He reveals His will to you but you don’t like it? You obey it anyway. So I went to the boss and gave my notice that I would be leaving, and things suddenly got real nasty. People like you stepping up, but they don't like you stepping down. Here I was at forty-five with no job to go to but leaving a great one. I looked like a prize idiot, but I knew it was what He wanted. And once you know, you really have no choice if you're going to move forward.

    Things began looking bad for us financially. Sylvia and I prayed about it and decided that we would do whatever it took, even if that meant getting a job cutting grass for a while. We started updating our resumes. While we were praying together for direction, the words "Refreshing Hope" came to us. One thing led to another, and here we are. Refreshing Hope Ministries is now reaching the disabled and those who have no church, using the skills we learned along the way.

    The Lord asked me to give up something I really loved, a great job as a pastor, without even a hint of another job to go to. It was blind faith. All He would tell me was, "Step down.” But when we did, things quickly began to fall into place for us, and Refreshing Hope was born. He has led the right people here, and it is a beautiful community of believers from around the world. But Refreshing Hope would have never existed if we had not first been willing to let go of what the Lord was asking for. When we did, He replaced what we had with something better.

    I would not even begin to compare our faith struggle with Abraham's, but just know that He will go after things you hold dear without telling you why. Your faith will be tested, and your actions, not your words, will provide His answer. If you feel Him tugging on something, let it go. He will replace it with something better.

    You can pray this with me if you like:

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, please guide me into all that You have for me. Show me what I should be focusing on in my life today and give me a clear direction. May Your will be done on Earth and in my life as it is in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!


Tip: You must be logged into the website to leave comments.

 

Social Sharing

25 comments
  • 1
Dale McGinness
Dale McGinness Thank you. I believe God is using you to speak to me.
September 14, 2020
  • 3
Marisa Jackson
Marisa Jackson

What a powerful revelation!  May God bless you and keep you and ALL of his children ever so close!  In Jesus precious name I pray, Amen!

September 13, 2020
  • 3
Yvette York
Yvette York

Amen

September 13, 2020
  • 3
Scott Riegelmann
Scott Riegelmann

Amen thank you all for making a difference in the lives of all RHM members

September 13, 2020
  • 2
Keyana Mallory
Keyana Mallory

Yes and Amen 

September 13, 2020
  • 2
Frances Osayi
Frances Osayi

Amen. Thank You LORD 

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Kay Collinsworth
Kay Collinsworth

Amen Father IThank You and thank you RHM for your words. I know you touch many lives.

September 14, 2020
  • 3
Patricia Walker
Patricia Walker

Amen. I'm so grateful to have been with Refreshing Hope for awhile now.  It is a comfort and joy to put the Lord first with your daily devotional. Thank you Pastor Dion and Sylvia. God Bless You. AMEN

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Mary Anne Kochut
Mary Anne Kochut

Such a great teaching. Thank you for sharing!

September 14, 2020
  • 3
Judith B
Judith Bedited: September 14, 2020

Thank God for you Pastor Todd and for sharing your story. A few years ago I was being told by many people around me to cut my dread locks which I had grown for 18 years. I went to God and told Him that too many people were speaking and so I wanted Him to tell me Himself.  One Sunday afternoon a few hours after I had returned from church, while laying on my bed He told me 'just as I asked Abraham for his child'. That is what caused me to cut it off.

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Lynn Brown
Lynn Brown

Thank you Pastor for heeding God's direction. I am thankful for RHM and all the people here that are my church family!

September 14, 2020
  • 2
David  Earlywine
David Earlywine

Heavenly Father please lead us in your direction and let our lives be for you and your glory. Amen 

September 14, 2020
  • 1
Cathy Webb
Cathy Webb

A message to prompt soul-searching, Pastor Dion. Thank you for bring God's Word to my heart!

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Jose Simo
Jose Simo

Heavenly Father I thank You for everything that You have given us through this journey, speak to me and through me in a way I can understand to follow Your will. Take away from me those things I don't really need and lead me to a better me. In Jesus Christ name I pray, Amen. Your will be done in me as You wish. 

Pastor I will always love and thank this Ministry for what I have found through your devotionals, clear my mind to follow the word, thank you and Sylvia for all you do for us. God bless you both. 

September 14, 2020
  • 1
Dion Todd
Dion Todd

I love your prayers brother! Thank you (and the rest here!) for reading and being a part of RHM.

September 15, 2020
  • 3
Christine Scalise
Christine Scalise

I am so grateful that you obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have been refreshed here more times that I can say. Thank you. Such a great example of what obedience can bring forth. I pray that I can be be as obedient as you and Sylvia were/ are. 

September 14, 2020
  • 3
Deng Tembreza
Deng Tembreza

PRAISE THE LORD.  
You first started with Peace be with you Ministries but never got to know the reason why you left. But I was with you since you started RHM and thank you for all your testimonies and teachings. GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU AND SYLVIA ALWAYS.

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Schalk  de Beer
Schalk de Beer

Yes Lord Jesus, amen and amen.

God bless you Dion and Sylvia, thank you so much that I also can be part of the world wide Refreshing Hope Ministries. I feel so proud to be able to say I belong to this church.

I have lost my job at the end of July as well, retrenched, but was actually praying for the door to close, so that I can cet to the calling I have received in 2004. I'm waiting in grate anticipation for the fulfillment of His calling. For the last year all your devotions was pointing in this direction, I have been struggling with issues, but thank God, you and Sylvia was always there.

God bless Refreshing Hope Ministries with You, Sylvia and all the people supporting this ministry. I will never leave this church, it is my Northern Hemisphere home.

Amen and amen

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Dion Todd
Dion Toddedited: September 15, 2020

Thank you, Schalk! We are grateful to have you as part of RHM. May the Lord give you a clear vision and open the right doors in your life. Almost every (work related) advancement I made in life started with a job ending.

September 15, 2020
  • 1
Schalk  de Beer
Schalk de Beer

Thank you very much Dion, I realize that, you've been a great example for all of us, God bless you and Sylvia. 

September 15, 2020
  • 2
Wesley Paulus
Wesley Paulus

Amen!

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Kevin J. Eck
Kevin J. Eck

Amen!

September 14, 2020
  • 2
Mari Kaufmann
Mari Kaufmann

God I need you. Amen

September 14, 2020
  • 1
Sandra Colby
Sandra Colby

LET GO AND LET GOD

 

September 15, 2020
  • 1
Liesel  aka  Lisa Wardle
Liesel aka Lisa Wardle

Amen and Amen !!!   I'm praising the Lord for both of you, dear Pastor Dion and your precious wife Sylvia, and I'm very grateful that HE directed me to "Peace be with you", when you first started your ministry, which was later changed to "Refreshing Hope"! This was the Lord's doing, especially for a time like this, when so many people can no longer attend their local churches! And, here we are still assembling ourselves with fellow believers, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, under your leadership and teaching! You are a lighthouse for so many of us, a light shining in the darkness! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! May the Lord bless you abundantly, put His hedge and shield round about you, meet all of your needs and increase your borders!!!

 

 

 

September 16, 2020