David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 WEBDavid was distressed. He and his men had wept until they no longer had the strength to weep. When they returned to their town, they had found it burned to the ground and all...

Who is the Holy Spirit? Who Is the Holy Spirit? from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is message one in a four part series on the Holy Spirit  So exactly who is the Holy Spirit? He Was There In the Beginning: (Genesis 1:1–2 NKJV) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And...

In His time Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”    I love to go birding! Have you ever watched an Eagle soar? It seems to be such a graceful effortless flight as they glide higher & higher in the heavens with little or no effort...

They were all astonished at the majesty of God. But while all were marveling at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 'Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.' But they didn't understand this saying. It was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it Luke 9:43 WEBJesus told His disciples, 'Let these words sink...

Giving - The Key to The Cell Door Giving: The Key to the Cell Door from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. In Matthew 6:02 Jesus told us “When you give” and then He told us how, and how not to do it. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward...

Now Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. Genesis 12:1 WEBAbram came to a crossroad in his life and had to make a choice: Obey God, or continue on with his life as it had been going. He was going to have to move...

Fasting - A Lost Art of The Church   Fasting - A Lost Art of The Church from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. This is the recording from Refreshing Hope - Live, 08.15.2016. Here are the notes: Do you want see God move in your life? Have you ever felt like things have become stagnant and that the fire has gone out? Do you want to carry the power of the Holy Spirit everywhere you go? Then...

For you don't delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart. Psalms 51:16 WEBWhen I first came to the Lord, I was so ecstatic that I wanted to make up for everything that I had ever done wrong in the past. I enrolled in Bible college and like many others there,...

When the praise goes up, the Glory comes down. When The Praise Goes Up from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.   This is a recording of the Refreshing Hope - Live meeting on 08.07.2016. Here are the notes: When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he brought spiritual renewal to the land. He removed idols, set up honest, God fearing judges, and restored the Levites and priests. Their...

See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! Psalms 133:1 WEBWood, I grew up around it. Often I was carrying it, sawing it, nailing it or pulling the splinters from my hands. My dad was a carpenter for fifty-five years, so I grew up with woodworking and I have always enjoyed building things. I find that is a valuable skill in our everyday life and am thankful for those...

Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb says: 'I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by myself; Isaiah 44:24 WEBIn the Bible when someone was in trouble, danger, or in need, a male relative could 'redeem' them. This relative was called a 'kinsmen redeemer' and would step in and pay off their debt, buy back their property,...

For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 2 Timmothy 1:6 WEBHave you ever felt a sense of dread come over you? Have you been afraid of that monster in the closet or under your bed? My older brother who had the driver's license, was a horror movie...

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalms 56:3 WEBTired and needing a rest, David had been on the run from Saul. His own father-in-law was seeking to kill him out of pure jealousy. Everything that David owned, he had to leave behind him. Now he was seeking refuge in Gath, a Philistine city whom...

Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV) July Newsletter - 2016 Hello there, Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has been happening here during the last month and I thank you for taking time to read it. August...

Psalm 81:13-16 : “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!  Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” I'm...

“For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17       There are times in my life I have struggled to understand the path God has placed me on and today is not any different. There have been times I wanted to just throw my hands up and shout to God, “I’m done”, there are times I just as well...

Luke 18:1-8: Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he...

So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. Job 42:12 WEBJob was a very wealthy man who went through a terrible trial, but when it was over and Job prayed for his friends, all that he had lost was returned double. In chapter...

Modern Day Pharisees   Note: If you cannot enable full screen click here to watch on Viemo: Modern Day Pharisees from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Message notes: Jesus had a different view of God’s law than the scribes and pharisees did at several points in His ministry. + His disciples did not wash their hands a certain way before a meal (Mark 7:3-4).- Hand washing...

Lay your burdens down  So many of us carry around the burdens of our past… things we regret saying… things we wish we had done differently... pain we may have caused others, or that was inflicted upon us. We were not meant to live with the weight of these burdens on us. God did not intend for us to carry such heaviness by ourselves. It's the enemy who comes to distract and destroy...

Exodus 24:7-8: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey. Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words. When Moses confirmed the covenant with the people of God, he did it according to...

Matthew 9:5: Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? Jesus meets us where we are in life. He asks all of us who go to Him what we want to see happen in our situations. We all have a choice to receive healing, provision, and wholeness. Whatever area we lack in, Jesus is there to meet our need.  The key is for us to believe, have faith and receive....

When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy each other. 2 Chronicles 20:22 WEBA great army...

Where Did You Read That?     If you cannot view full screen, click here:  Where Did You Read That? from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.   I grew up in the Bible Belt of the South, with people that love God, but are steeped in religious tradition. When I began to study the Bible, I was amazed at what was not in it, and sometimes at what was written in there. This message...

2 Timothy:3:15-17: From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. All scripture is God-breathed. The book of Timothy...

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Phil 4:5 KJVThere are so many things in this life that God has given us to enjoy and He does want us to have pleasure while we are here. Relationships, eating, drinking, work, health, exercise, hobbies, are all valuable pursuits. However, none of these are to become the end goal and sole focus of your life.Anytime something becomes more...

Genesis 3:7-8: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden There are a lot of unnatural things in this...

  This is the word of the week from Pastor Dion. "If you want to know Me, Talk to Me."  Note: If you cannot make the video fullscreen, then you can click here:  Talk to Me also you can follow Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Talk to Me “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,...

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe. Acts 14:19 WEBAfter healing a crippled man and preaching the good news in the city of Lystra, the people...

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Matthew 13:44 WEBJesus told a parable of a man who found treasure hidden in a field, then he joyfully sold all that he had so that he could buy it and make it his own. He could not take the treasure without buying the entire field, and though...