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Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Genesis 39:20-21 WEB. Joseph was his father's favorite son, and his older brothers became very jealous of him. Though Joseph had not done anything wrong...

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn't know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." John 20:14–16 WEB. Mary and the disciples of Jesus...

Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the porch of the temple, for its houses, for its treasuries, for its upper rooms, for its inner rooms, for the place of the mercy seat; and the plans of all that he had by the Spirit, 1 Chronicles 28:11-12 WEB. David provided Solomon with the plans for the new temple he was to build. Though initially, all of those plans were given to David by the Holy...

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 man has done nothing wrong." He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus...

When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. The people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Then he cried to Yahweh. Yahweh showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them. He said, "If...

A man's steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread. All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed. Psalm 37:23-26 WEB. David had the experience of an entire life behind him...

Two Are Better Than One from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We sometimes watch a video series called "Alone," where they take people and drop them off in an extremely remote location with a camera and a few items and see how long they can survive. Some people have made it to a hundred days, while others lasted only four hours. What causes...

The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God's will remains forever. 1 John 2:17 WEB. It was my first day of school at Kingston Elementary. Early that morning, my stepmother pulled up to the school, pushed me out of her car, and drove off. Standing alone in the parking lot, I felt like a fish out of water. Panic, fear, abandonment, and a few other strong emotions rolled over me as...

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. Job 2:11 WEB. Righteous men have always been hard to find. Yes, under the new covenant, we have forgiveness, and our sins are covered...

God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah 3:10–4:1 WEB. It was early morning during a hot summer in the South, and we were digging up a septic tank. After we located and shoveled the dirt off the lid, I grabbed a heavy bar off the truck,...

Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli perceived that Yahweh had called the child. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel!...

They went out from there and passed through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples, and said to them, "The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, on the third day he will rise again." But they didn't understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. Mark 9:30–32 WEB. The office manager nodded and...

While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, "Behold, this evil is from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?" Elisha said, "Hear Yahweh's word. Yahweh says, 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.' " Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned...

God is Able from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We often underestimate the power and greatness of God, the Almighty. There's no one like Him - no one as powerful, no one as wise. Yet, too often, we let our circumstances chip away at our hope that God will come through for us. The more we focus on our problems, the bigger they seem, and the...

Yahweh said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. Yahweh said...

Hezekiah prospered in all his works. However, concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32:30-31 WEB. While attending classes at a school, the teacher is right there with you and willing to answer any questions you may have. They spend...

Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying, "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel. I have given you every place that the sole of your foot will tread on, as I told Moses. Joshua 1:1–3 WEB. Painful...

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:6-7 WEB. My friend had no idea that the answer to his prayer was waiting for him just inside...

Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don't you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 WEB. A wealthy friend of mine once picked up his daughter's car to take it in for an oil change while she was at work. After He had been gone for a long time, she became anxious and worried about them both. But she was happy when her dad returned late...

Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Therefore I didn't even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go!' and...

The Dinner Party from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One day, Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to dine at his house. We do not know why. The Pharisees were a strict sect of Judaism known for their rigorous adherence to the laws of Moses and various traditions. They avoided contact with anything or anyone considered unclean. They criticized...

Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let's hold tightly to our confession. For we don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:14 WEB. When kings of old passed through their towns, it was often with a splendid display and ceremony....

He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes...

You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn't withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes didn't grow old, and their feet didn't swell. Nehemiah 9:20-21 WEB. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them His Spirit to teach them. He provided them with...

A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 WEB. Health tip: Don't worry. Be Happy. You can add years to your life and health to your body by merely being joyful and happy. No one should be able to manipulate your joy externally because it should come from inside you. People, places, and things can cause problems, but how you react to events is entirely...

Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making something on the wheels. When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then Yahweh's word came to me, saying, "House of Israel, can't I do with you as this potter?" Jeremiah 18:3-6 WEB. A friend of mine owned a potter's wheel and...

For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness. For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh's word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:28-30 WEB. Total darkness is the complete absence of light. In scripture, it is associated with gloom, despair, and terror in addition to the natural...

When Sparrows Fall from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The little sparrow was the cheapest living food sold in the marketplace. You could buy two sparrows for a penny or splurge a bit and get five for two pennies (Luke 12:6), with the penny being the smallest copper coin of the day. Sparrows have drab feathers and are described as 'dull-colored'...

He said to him, "O Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." Yahweh said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." Judges 6:15-16 WEB. Gideon was the least in his family, who happened to be the poorest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. Then God chose him to lead a group of three hundred...

This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. John...