The One in the Mirror from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. One of our biggest obstacles to living an overcoming life is often the one we look at in the mirror. Usually, the last thing that the body wants to do is live a disciplined life. Our flesh would rather feast than fast, but to follow Jesus, we have to make it obey. (Matthew 16:24...

Filled with Wonder from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The goodness of God can fill you with wonder. I believe wonder is a powerful way to describe what it feels like when the Holy Spirit moves in your life. It can feel almost magical and surreal. At times, you may ask yourself, "Is this really happening?" A real pinch-yourself moment. Wonder...

The Hourglass from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Before we begin, I want to say that this is a very simple message, that everyone should know, but we seem to have forgotten. Keep an open mind and let the Lord speak to you about whether it is right or wrong, but this is what He told me:Picture an hourglass in the shape of your country slowly...

Inspiration from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Inspiration is when a creative idea suddenly downloads into your brain, and it's not an accident. It is for a purpose and may be more important than we think. Let's begin in Jeremiah chapter 1, verse 4: (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NKJV) Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you...

Flow Through Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today I want to talk about something at the very core of knowing Jesus: the Holy Spirit. This is fundamental, but sometimes we build our doctrines so high that we can no longer see the foundation, even though it is very important that it is still there. Please keep a teachable spirit and...

Fortunate Son from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord has a beautiful way of taking the least of the least and anointing them for His work. When Jesus Christ, His Son, came to Earth, He could have been born in a palace and slept in a cradle of gold. But He was born in a stable in Bethlehem and lay in a feeding trough. His parents were...

The Ghost of Christmas Past from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. A common tactic of the enemy is to make you focus on your past, and if that doesn't work, then he will try to make you worry about the future. It's a bit like Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. You cannot change the past, and we don't know what is coming tomorrow, so both of these...

Courageous from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Most Christians tend to understand what the Lord desires because He has written it on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). We know we should tell the truth, be kind, generous, show mercy, forgive others, defend the weak, comfort the hurting, and love our neighbors. Basically, do unto others as you would have...

God Almighty from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the world today, and I feel that many are losing their focus by spending too much time listening to the news and too little time listening to the Lord. We must remember that what we feed into our minds will grow, and what we starve will die. Things we focus...

Mission Impossible from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Once upon a time, a shepherd named Moses was watching his father-in-law's sheep near Mount Horeb when the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush. It was not unusual for a dry bush to catch fire in the desert under the blazing sun, but this one didn't burn up. It just kept burning. So eventually,...

Love and Hate from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (John 11:35) Jesus wept. It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet it offers a deep glimpse into the compassion Jesus Christ has for people. Today, I want to talk about love, hate, racism, and where the Lord Jesus Christ stands on these issues. I feel that things have become clouded, and...

Seeing the Invisible from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Like the wind, which is invisible yet can move buildings, there is an entire invisible spirit realm that surrounds us. Angels come and go, spirits pass by, poke our defenses, and see if we have any vacancies. "Is there room at the inn for me tonight?" We need to live in light of eternity....

Find Hope in Jesus from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When I was about 10 years old, I worked in the fields driving a tractor for a nearby farmer. He had a late 1970s Allis-Chalmers, orange in color, and I loved the sound that the diesel engine made. It was the first diesel tractor I had driven; the old 1940s John Deere we had at home ran...

Anointing and Gifts from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When a talented singer comes to a church who can bring down the house with a five-octave range, people leave amazed and say, "Wow, they are so anointed!" Maybe, maybe not... There is a massive misunderstanding between being gifted and being anointed. The gifts and the calling of God are...

The Dreamer from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the book of Genesis, Jacob had twelve sons, but his favorite was Joseph. He made Joseph a robe of many colors that set him apart from his brothers. It was not the garment of a working man, but that of a prince. Joseph's brothers grew envious of him. Then, when Joseph was seventeen, God gave...

Surrendering in Advance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Many times when we are faced with something intimidating, we just don't want to face it, and we surrender in advance. A weak man can overcome an army if they cower in fear in front of him, even though he would be squashed like a bug if they decided to stand their ground and challenge...

Bacon and Catfish from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I received a question last week from members who were doing a Bible study and came to Matthew 5:17-20. As I began to draft a response, it grew larger and eventually became a message. So I thought I would share it with you. Let's read the entire passage, then break it down verse by verse: (Matthew...

The Return of the King from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Have you ever run out of time to finish something? Like when a teacher sets a deadline for a report, but you get too busy with everything else, and the time slips away. You knew the day was coming. You knew it had to be done, but you still found yourself focusing on something else. It...

Clear and Present Danger from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17 NKJV). God loves...

Who Was Luke? from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. What do we know about the writer of the Gospel of Luke? Who was he? Both Matthew and John were among the twelve apostles of Jesus. John “Mark” was a disciple who was probably with Jesus the night He was arrested, and he was also a companion of Peter and Paul. Luke was not an apostle. He...

The Road to Repentance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Rabbis around the time of Jesus taught that you should forgive someone up to three times, but not four, based on verses in Amos chapters one and two (Amos 1:3). Jesus Christ had a different view: (Luke 17:3-4 NKJV) Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke...

The Rich Man Who Caught Fire from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. We are all stewards of what the Lord has given us and will one day have to give an account to Him of how we used our time, talents, money, and influence while we lived here. It's greasy grace to believe that simply reciting the sinner's prayer frees us to live however we wish without...

Getting Back on Track from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Solomon wrote: "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity." (Proverbs 24:16 NASB). The righteous may fall, but they always recover. They get back up, for it is vital to get your life back on track after making a mistake. Failure...

The Golden Calf from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In Exodus, Moses went up Mount Sinai for a meeting with the Lord that lasted about six weeks, 40 days and nights (Exodus 24:18). By then, the people were beginning to feel abandoned, so a group of them went to see Moses' older brother, Aaron. (Exodus 32:1 NKJV) Now when the people saw that...

Relics or Repentance from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Humans have always sought relics like the Holy Grail or the Shroud of Turin, and there are crosses and crucifixes everywhere. We like things we can touch. We handle them, rub them, and kiss them, but things like this are powerless. God is not dead, or an inanimate object, and He doesn't...

This Old House from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God has always had a special place to meet with His people. When the Israelites left Egypt, Moses met with God in a tent called "The Tent of Meeting" (Exodus 33:7). When Moses went inside, the pillar of cloud would descend on it, and the Lord would talk with Moses. Then the Lord gave Moses...

Farther Along from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Today, I want to talk about dealing with things we don't understand. For there will be times in life when the path gets dark, and we have to walk by faith. I want to start with Psalm 119.Psalm 119:105 NKJV Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. The lamp in this Psalm is an...

Who Was Mark from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Gospel of Mark is both the shortest and the oldest of the four Gospels, yet it is filled with action and urgency, as if it were written under pressure and with a deadline, while covering the most important points. There is a raw quality to it, presenting a condensed and more roughly written...

The Northeaster from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Looking back, I can recall many times when I felt I must have missed God's direction, only to discover that I was exactly where I needed to be. Even if that place was a dark hole-in-the-wall, it was often through those very circumstances that I was led toward my destiny. The storms in our lives...

The God Who Sees Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Hagar was Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, and when Sarah struggled to conceive, she offered Hagar to her husband Abram as a wife, hoping to have children through her. However, once Hagar became pregnant, the family dynamics changed. Sarah began to treat her "harshly", leading Hagar to flee....