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  • 7 hours ago
    Posted by Dion Todd
    Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have mocked me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you." The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not yo...
  • Thu at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    Yahweh said to Joshua, "Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that?" Joshua 7:10 WEB.Joshua lay prostrate before the ark of the Lord all that evening. Yesterday, he had been a mighty warrior. Now Israel had lost the battle at Ai, all because one of the men with him had become greedy and brok...
  • Wed at 3:01 AM
    Posted by Dion Todd
    Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Don't fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel." When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned around to fight against him. But Jehoshap...
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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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Connecting the Dots

  • Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness Luke 4:1 WEB

    I 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 better, or that it provided skills that we would need later.

    These things are not a mere coincidence. God has a plan and purpose for those that follow Him. Jesus was led by the Spirit to where He needed to be. So were Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Jonah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, Paul and so many others.

    We are commanded to walk in the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Paul wrote, 'But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh' (Galatians 5:16). Notice the word 'fulfill', it means 'to complete, execute, accomplish, perform, finish.' It does not mean that you will never have bad thoughts, but that you will not follow through with them.

    God taught me a lot of the skills that I use today, in places that I did not want to be. Many of my stories come out of enduring hardship, but I wouldn't be here without them. They become a part of your path, and looking back, you can connect the dots.

    If God has brought you this far, and done all of that in the past, why not trust Him to take care of you today? You will be in the right place, at the right time. You are not going to miss anything that He has reserved for you. The hard things are just a part of the path and though a road may have bumps, it will get you to where you are going as long as you keep moving ahead. Stay the course, chin up, your life has a purpose.

    Prayer: Father, thank You for bringing me this far. I choose to believe that You have a plan and a purpose for me being where I am. Fulfill Your plan in my life and guide me to where I need to be, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

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39 comments
  • 2
David and Dianna Wyles
David and Dianna Wylesedited: February 29, 2016 Amen! I'm trusting you Father! Thank you Pastor! Pastor's Prayer: Father, thank You for bringing me this far. I choose to believe that You have a plan and a purpose for me being where I am. Fulfill Your plan in my life and guide me to where I need to be, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Amen
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Schalk  de Beer
Schalk de Beer Amen. 
February 29, 2016
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Marisa Jackson
Marisa Jacksonedited: February 29, 2016 Dear Lord, Thank you for reminding me that I have a purpose, I may not know exactly what it is, and sometimes feel as though what is the point; however, you continue to mold me and show me that my life does have meaning and although all of my family members have passed on, you are right by my side, holding me up and leading me on.  Thank you!  Love You Through Infinity!  Amen!!
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Amen, Praise The Lord,God is so good in helping us through whatever point we are in our life.
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Mari Kaufmann
Mari Kaufmann End this tribulation lord. Amen
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Precious Jesus, give Mari, peace, comfort and strength through this time of tribulation. I pray for healing and a divine touch from You,Jesus over Mari and all the needs in her life in Jesus Name. Amen.
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Joey Smith
Joey Smith Amen, thank you Pastor Dion for sharing the word of our Lord and Saviour, it's a blessing to always start the day with the inspirational words of the Lord.
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Amen and Amen
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Amen
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Laura B. Martinez
Laura B. Martinez Unbelievable. I just professed this same thing yesterday to my friends. Thank you Pastor Todd for always giving us words of encouragement, hope and faith.
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Amen, Praise The Lord, God is so good. Always right on time.
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Kath Paro
Kath Paro Dion~ Thank you again! This reminds me of when I was sharing at a meeting. I shocked the group when I began by saying I was grateful my brother died. God taught me how to grieve and to feel loss.  It was time my brother join God, he had suffered for years.  I was grateful my parents had a miserable marriage, God showed me how to not have a marriage, this came after my 2 failed ones. And a lot more things that could have been taken as negatives, turned into blessings.  On that day my God showed me how they were lessons in how to live life.  I remember the past, not regret it.  Thank you God!!!
February 29, 2016
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<i>Deleted Member</i>
Deleted Member Precious Jesus, I pray as we all face storms in this life, that we will learn to totally put our faith and trust in You, knowing that if we believe, all things will work out wonderful and that we just need to continue in our faith and trust and look back at all the wonderful things You have already done, so we can look ahead, knowing that You will still continue to take care of us. Let us see where we can connect the dots from where we have come to now and to where we are going in You. Thank you Pastor Dion for this wonderful message today. I so needed it. God bless you and Sylvia for letting Jesus use you for His Glory in helping others to see what great things Jesus can and will do for His children if we will but trust, have faith, and obey. 
February 29, 2016- Edit- Delete
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Linda Cella
Linda Cella Amen 
February 29, 2016
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K K
K K Amen! Give me the courage to face my challenges daily Lord and thank you, always! Amen
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Schmidt
Sylvia Schmidt Thank you. I really needed to hear this today. still struggling over the same things. taking so long to get over things. waiting is so hard. miss my kids too. thank you pastor. Have a good day.
February 29, 2016
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Carol Pady
Carol Pady Amen , I am where i am because it is where I shoud be. Everything placed into my life is here for a reason. I need only to be in the moment and to trust God in all things.
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd Some of our best and most memorable testimonies have been because of the difficult times, of how God got us through them, of how His plans worked out better than we ever could have guessed or dreamed. Looking back, I would not trade them for anything.
February 29, 2016
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Twila Stierwalt
Twila Stierwalt Amen! I believe this to.
February 29, 2016
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Christina Ocasio
Christina Ocasio Amen ♡
February 29, 2016
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Karen Pasquinelli
Karen Pasquinelli Amen!!! and Thank you
February 29, 2016
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Tyler Velau
Tyler Velau Pastor Todd, I am curious, what does the word or the Lord say about venting? For example, if a person becomes very angry, very angry, but they find a way to vent that anger so there is no explosion and no one gets hurt. There are more ways to vent then anger. There are all kinds of stresses of angst, of negative feelings that left unchecked could become dangerous to ourselves and to those around us. I think finding avenues to vent those feelings is better than trying to stuff those feelings down. I look at it like a volcano, the stesses and pressures don't go away, they just keep building up until BOOM! But, if theres a vent, the pressure subsides and there is no boom. 
February 29, 2016
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Dion Todd
Dion Todd “Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26–27 WEB). We can be angry, but don't let it lead to bad actions that harm others, and don't let it last over night.  Christians must be sure that their anger is that of righteous indignation, and not just an expression of personal provocation or wounded pride. It must have no sinful motives, nor be allowed to lead to sin in any way. Personally when I get upset at the world, I like play video games like Fallout 4 or GTA5. Works as a stress reliever for me...
February 29, 2016
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Tyler Velau
Tyler Velauedited: February 29, 2016 Ah a fellow gamer :) Video games have been my life since the mario brothers came out on the NES. It is stress relief but it can also cause stress for instance when you encounter the first deathclaw in fallout 4 just after signing up with the minutemen. Or, if you play gta online, and one of your teamates doesn't quite know the ropes and you have to pick up some of the slack. But, Elder Scrolls games Oblivion and Skyrim are also great for stress relief and are just overall great fantastic games. Really looking forward to the next installment of the series, The Elder Scrolls VI.  Love for video games aside, I'm curious about venting, what does God say about it when we vent our anger or our frustrations and stresses? Are there rules? What if we have to do something that is "frowned upon" so that we avoid committing a bigger sin?
February 29, 2016
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Dion Todd
Dion Todd I had to avoid that deathclaw until I got the power armor and mini gun up on the roof, then we had a chat! I was playing Skyrim some yesterday. Love that game. As far as venting, I don't think anyone is perfect, just try to not let things get out of hand. We are a spirit living in a body of flesh and bones and we do the best that we can. I don't worry about rules, it is a relationship. I try the best that I can, ask for forgiveness when I am convicted, and take it one day at a time. The biggest thing that stops people from walking with God is that when they fall, they don't get up. God is never mad at you, it us that puts on that garment. He understands what we go through here. 
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd *high fives Tyler* Dion is replying about the venting, but just wanted to say we love the Elder Scrolls, especially Skyrim! The theme music still gives me chills. Agreed on the GTA online and such. We hardly ever play online anymore, because of time and because of the kind of people that tend to show up, especially in GTA (which I don't play, but have seen Dion's TV when he tried it once ;)) 
February 29, 2016
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Tyler Velau
Tyler Velau That's true for gta online lol. All sorts show up there and I was very surprised when I found children, young children, playing gta online. I believe I have seen a four or five year old on gta online as well as numeros 10-11 year olds. IMO, that game is horrendously inappropriate for children due to the adult nature of the game. But, if you have a playstation 4 console, you can create your own groups of friends and avoid having to listen to the rabble, all that swearing and ludeness is enough to drive some people mad. I used to play gta online avidly with a group of friends I had made from gta online. But I got burnt out on it so I decided to take a long break :). To me, personally, Ive always thought of venting as relieving certain stresses and pressures to avoid allowing those stresses to build up to dangerous levels and be a catalyst for something very bad happening. I know shame and iniquity are mentioned a lot in the bible, and there are times when we can't help but feel shameful for something we did or thought about doing. Humbly seeking the Lord's forgiveness is not always an easy thing to do. And sometimes, we can feel ashamed to do even that.  It's like telling your parents you did something bad as a child and were anxious of the reprocussions. A scolding parent can seem menacing to a child. 
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd Oh yeah, that's terrible that little kids are playing that game. It's probably even too inappropriate for me, lol. That's a good feature to have private groups! The good thing about going to God with your stuff, is that He already knows about it anyway, unlike our parents on Earth :).
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd Agree with Dion on the venting, but just adding a comment that I think that maybe not all venting is the same. A bit of "letting off the steam" is something we all do in different ways, much like the body cools us with perspiration. For others, it may be just a different word for an anger problem, or a substitute for taking action to change the situation that is causing the venting. Still, as Dion said, even if we make a mistake, there is forgiveness and getting up to try again :).
February 29, 2016
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Twila Stierwalt
Twila Stierwalt I know God has a plan and a purpose for my life, no matter what my circumstances are. I want to believe Him and trust that He is leading me.
February 29, 2016
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Sylvia Todd
Sylvia Todd Agreed, Twila, amen!
February 29, 2016
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Heide Garner
Heide Garner  well I struggled with depression and sudice thoughts in the past but as Got prayer last August Irealized that God is real we only read word devil will foot hole in our minds but when were prayer and the word well devil must flee so know  hardtimes made thankful as look back old me and wow God power is good when get plugged and stay plugged in not let other lead  you astray.
February 29, 2016
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Wesley Paulus
Wesley Paulus Amen!
February 29, 2016
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Elena Vasquez
Elena Vasquez Amen
February 29, 2016
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Lissy Verghese
Lissy Verghese Thank you dear Pastor, for the great message!
February 29, 2016
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Patricia Walker
Patricia Walker Thank you for this devotional today!! So needed to hear that Gods plan for me far exceeds anything else.  People will tell lies to make themselves look better but God knows the truth. At the end of the day that is all that matters to me!!  Amen Pastor Todd and May God bless you and your family!!
February 29, 2016
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Ticardo Williams
Ticardo Williams Amen.  Praise God!  Thanks Pastor Dion!  Lord, Guide me to where I need to be, and fulfill Your Plan for my life.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.
March 1, 2016
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Rosemary Marsh
Rosemary Marsh Amen.Father,sometime we wonder why things happen in our lives.Thank you that your plans for us are all for the best for us.Teach us your ways O Lord.For your ways are perfect.I surrender all to you Lord.My hearts desire is to keep following you in all my ways and in all that I do.In Jesus name I pray.
March 2, 2016