[…]me out of my fears to search through His Word for His promises of comfort and hope, such as Psalm 18:2: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” We’ve been through a lot in our four short years of marriage, but it’s been exciting to look back and see how God has been a part of it all, especially in the last two years. God poured out countless blessings on my husband in the pursuit of his […]
[…]to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). And sometimes suffering is simply the effect of living in a fallen world where evil can strike anyone. Yet none of the aspects of suffering limit God’s capacity to use pain in a redeeming fashion. Isaiah’s prophesy about the greatest Suffering Servant declares, “By His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus’ wounds and suffering are the venue through which we have been redeemed. Believers can rejoice because through our own lives, God uses the mystery of pain and suffering through which His eternal work […]
[…]and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”?(Psalm 46:10). Some of you, such as OCF members David Ruth or Josh Gilliam, may have come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ at RMH. In those quiet moments on the mountain, you heard and listened to the still, small voice of the Lord, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). Whether you are newly commissioned, deployed, or […]
[…]do and how you lead does matter. “When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me” (Psalm 138:3). My prayer is that the Lord will EMBOLDEN you through the ministry of OCF. Lead on! Be ready! No […]
[…]O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 As a leader, are you ever hesitant or uncertain about how to respond to situations? Are you inclined to give a knee-jerk reaction or are your responses more often guided by the Lord’s true wisdom? Do you experience compassion-level fluctuations, that is, sometimes your actions reflect spiritual wisdom and at other times seem void of anything resembling those guided by the Holy Spirit? At the heart of these queries is the consideration of the root of one’s conscious […]
[…]be true. “Does he [God] speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). God will still be faithful and good. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). His blood will still have the power to forgive sins and justify for eternity. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7). His love for you will still be an everlasting, unfailing love. “I have loved you with an […]
[…]this would occur. In the midst of the unknown, I felt His peace and security. The words of Psalm 37:23-24 were further reassurance: The steps of a man are established by the Lord; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. (NASB) As I meditate on God’s sovereign goodness, my fickle heart grows in steadfast confidence that all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him. Even in worst-case scenarios. Second, our family was blessed by God’s church. Despite our tendency toward […]
