The Sitting Dead from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus Christ was baptized by John in the Jordan River when He was about thirty years old. The heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the physical form of a dove:(Luke 3:21–22 NKJV)  When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized;...

You Raise Me Up from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. King David woke from an afternoon nap and took a stroll around his balcony one evening. He happened to see a beautiful woman bathing at a nearby house. It was the house of Uriah and Bathsheba. The husband, Uriah, was away serving in the military. Now, David had many wives and concubines,...

Holy Spirit Fall on Me from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There are pivotal moments in life when things suddenly change, a breakout, a breakthrough. When doing the impossible suddenly becomes easy. Many of these moments in the Bible happened right after the Holy Spirit "fell" on someone. It was life-changing, and they were never the same....

Lost Donkeys from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Benjamin was the smallest and least significant tribe in Israel, and a young man named Saul lived there. Saul was from a wealthy family but his life had been uneventful up to this point, and there was nothing notable to mention. Then, one day, a mundane task arose:(1 Samuel 9:3–4 NKJV) ...

The Mustard Seed from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told His disciples a parable about the kingdom of God using a tiny mustard seed. Though mustard was the smallest seed a Palestinian farmer would plant in his field, it would grow into the largest plant in his garden.  (Matthew 13:31–32 NKJV)  Another parable He put forth...

Rise From the Dust from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses was a fiery young man in Egypt, raised by the daughter of Pharaoh and reared with all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). He was mighty in words and deeds, but when he turned forty years old, things seemed to fall apart. One day he went to visit his people, the Hebrews, who...

                     Crazy Prayers from     Refreshing Hope Ministries on     Vimeo.    Over the years, I have spent a lot of time praying with others. For example, we led an intercessory prayer team for a while. We also volunteered at the healing rooms, where...

Resurrection Day from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is Resurrection Day, the final day of Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday around 33 AD. Jesus Christ would have been in his early thirties. The numbers coincide because BC and AD were created to date the birth of Jesus Christ, so he was 33 years old, and it was about 33 AD, though historical date discrepancies may put his birth a...

Palm Sunday from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the last week of Jesus' life on Earth. It was five days before Passover, the day He would be crucified, a day we know as Good Friday. Palm Sunday leads up to Resurrection Sunday, which we call Easter. It also marks the beginning of Passion Week, also called Holy Week. Jesus traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem...

The Blessing of Abraham from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. God knows how to help people who are going through a hard time, for He is a delivering God. Even when our own actions have landed us there, He can bring us back from the brink of destruction. He always tells the enemy, "Let My people go!" Yet, far too many times, He sets us free, and we return to bondage like a washed sow that returns...

Fool for the City from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told a story about a young man who was living a comfortable life and had a bright future ahead of him. Although the man was unnamed in the story, let's call him Richmond. Richmond lived on his wealthy father's farm and helped oversee the work of maintaining it. In the ancient Near East, this would have been tending to crops, managing...

Speak To It from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There is hidden power in the words you speak, but how? The Apostle Paul tells us that the Word of God is our offensive weapon: The Sword of the Spirit. We combine that with a defensive weapon called the Shield of Faith. (Ephesians 6:16–17 NKJV)  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery...

Transformers from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses was now eighty years old and tending sheep in the wilderness of Sinai.  It was a lonely, rugged, harsh terrain that was mostly barren but with just enough seasonal vegetation to graze sheep and goats. The nights were cold, and the days were extremely hot, with very little rainfall.  At eighty, Moses was pretty insignificant,...

The Lord of Breakthrough from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When David became King of Israel, the Philistines became worried, for David had long been a thorn in their side. He had killed their champion giant, Goliath, when he was in his teens. People even sang songs and danced about how many Philistines David had killed in battle, and the Philistines knew about them:  (1 Samuel 29:5...

Stolen Destiny from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. After King David passed on, his son Solomon, by Bathsheba, became the next King of Israel. The Lord appeared to Solomon twice and told him that if he walked in all the Lord's ways, he would always have an heir on the throne. But Solomon's seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines led his heart astray towards the end of his life, and...

Down at the Crossroads from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. (Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV)  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Trying to understand why God does something is a crossroads that everyone comes to at some point,...

The Bronze Serpent from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord gave them the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. In essence, this was the beginning of a covenant relationship, similar to marriage vows today.  God had already proven His faithfulness by delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through many signs, wonders, miracles,...

As Time As This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the ancient empire of Persia, around 479 BC, a high-ranking official named Haman was driven by a deep-seated grudge and plotted to exterminate all the Jewish people in the empire. His hatred was sparked by Mordecai the Jew, who refused to bow to Haman as he passed by.  So Haman, consumed by his vengeful pride, cunningly convinced...

From Dust to Dust from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose sight of the eternal. We are so busy planning for what we are going to do tomorrow that we forget we might not be here at all. I am all for working, planning, building, and saving for a rainy day, but let's be grounded in reality and not forget about eternity. Let's begin with...

Cry Out to Jesus from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. My simplest and most accurate description of faith is believing in something enough to take action on it. For example, if someone told you they would meet you outside the bank at 10 AM, would you believe them enough to meet them? I know some people I would believe and some I wouldn't. Some people mean what they say, while others say what...

2023 Year-end Wrapup from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Dear wonderful Refreshing Hope Family, As we close out another year and look back on 2023, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for being an integral part of our journey here at Refreshing Hope Ministries. Whether you've joined us through reading our devotionals, watching our videos, or listening to our music, your...

Feeling Good from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. The Lord speaks to us in ways we can comprehend. For example, He wouldn't speak Hebrew to someone who doesn't understand Hebrew. That is why the Apostle Paul said this: (1 Corinthians 14:18–19 NKJV)  I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that...

The Night Before Christmas from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Imagine what it must've been like to be in Bethlehem, a cozy little town surrounded by rolling hills, over 2,000 years ago on the very first Christmas Eve. Think about a time way before we had all these twinkling Christmas lights and the happy holiday songs we sing today. It was a night unlike any other, special and full of wonder,...

Roosters from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I grew up on a farm in the country, and we raised chickens. I had a gorgeous dark red pet rooster I raised from a hatchling. They are peculiar creatures. The roosters were attention seekers and would strut around with their chests out, hop onto the highest point they could reach, and crow as loud and long as they could. They chased all the hens...

The Vineyard from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. I have always admired Amos, who was a shepherd in a field when the Lord told him to go and prophesy to King Jeroboam in Bethel. The priest Amaziah told him to prophesy somewhere else. They weren't interested in what the Lord had to say, but Amos stood his ground and told them the message the Lord had given him. That took courage. (Amos 7:12–16...

Sacrifice from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. When Jesus came walking past the disciples in their fishing boat late one night, Peter called out to Him and asked if he could join Him and walk on the water.  (Matthew 14:28–31 NKJV)  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down...

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 regular fisherman by trade. Peter, who openly referred to himself as 'a sinful man' in Luke 5:8, was...

The Eyes of Faith from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This message is a spiritual pearl for me, and I am a bit conflicted about sharing it as the Lord warns us not to throw our pearls before swine, and this is the Internet. Yet, this is a word from Him meant to be shared. May it encourage someone to look beyond the natural and give them hope. We need to see the resources available beyond the...

Moving On from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. There will be times when the Lord sends you in a different direction than those around you, like Barnabas and Saul:  (Acts 13:2 NKJV)  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." That time was graceful, but there will be other times...