2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

GOD GIVES STRENGTH FOR EACH NEW DAY

Deuteronomy 33:1,24,25. "This is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel.... Let Asher be blessed with children... and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."

A few years back I noticed this Scripture in its TRUE CONTEXT! Immediately after the 'blessing promise' that Asher would be blessed with children, comes the promise, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." As God blessed Asher's family with children, so He provided daily strength and wisdom for the task!

This promise is tailor made for parenting. You may be thinking, "I can’t cope with caring for my children." Or "How on earth could I ever cope with another child?" But God has promised that when He blesses you with a child that He will give you the strength and enabling to care for this precious child. He will give new strength for each new day. He doesn't give the strength and ability before the baby arrives, but when this blessing comes from Heaven, He sends His daily strength. Isn't that wonderful?

Whatever responsibilities loom ahead of you and you wonder how you will cope, don’t despair. God will not give you the strength before you need it. When you face the task – and you cast yourself upon Him and trust in His strength and His resources, you will find that God’s strength will be your portion.

Don’t worry about strength for tomorrow. Trust God for strength for today. You only have to get through today! Tomorrow God will come again and refresh you and renew you with His strength.

Matthew 6:34TLB, "Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."

GOD GIVES STRENGTH FOR THE BATTLE

Maybe you are going through a battle in your life. Claim God’s word. He has promised to arm you with strength for the battle. He doesn’t give you the strength before you face the battle, but when you face it, He will be right there with you!

Psalm 18:39, "Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle."

GOD GIVES STRENGTH IN TIME OF TROUBLE

Psalm 37:39, "The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble."

Nahum 1:7, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."

Dear mother, as you lean on Him each new day, God will be …

Your Strong tower, Psalm 61:3

Your Strong habitation, Psalm 71:3

Your Strong refuge, Psalm 71:7

Your Strong rock, Psalm 31:2

Your Strong arm, Psalm 89:10, 21; Isaiah 33:2; Luke 1:51.

Your Strong hand, Psalm 89:13, 136:12; Isaiah 40:10; Jeremiah 32:21

God’s strength will be yours for today.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh, Lord, I thank you that I don’t have to worry about tomorrow. I trust you for today. I thank you for your strength for all my needs today. I thank you that tomorrow you will give me new strength for whatever need I have. Lord, I thank you that whatever difficulty or pain I have to endure, that I can endure it in your strength. Lord, I thank you that you have promised to give me daily strength – new strength each day – for nurture the children you have given me and the children you plan to give me. Oh I thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen."

QUOTE:

Dear mother, here’s Isaiah 41:10 for you. It has seven promises in this one verse – one for each day of this coming week.

"Fear not on Sunday,

I am with you on Monday,

Be not dismayed on Tuesday,

I am your God on Wednesday,

I will strengthen you on Thursday,

Yes, I will help you on Friday.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Isn’t it easy to feel sorry for yourself? I think it’s the easiest thing in the world. And yet it is the most debilitating. And the most deceiving. Our mind takes us down a road that makes everything seem far worse than it really is.

I remember one time when my children were all small. I was at the kitchen sink doing the dishes and I started into a self-pity trip. I was feeling so sorry for myself that the tears rolled down my face. I was really in the pit! Then I looked up. There was my Bible open at Psalm 103. Fortunately I had established the habit of having my Bible open at my windowsill. In those days I didn’t have much time to sit and read the Bible but I would grab a verse from Psalms or Proverbs as I worked in my kitchen.

I read verses 1 – 5. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things…"

All at once, I realized what I was doing. I was totally deceived. I had let my mind get out of control. I had to gird up the loins of my mind. I repented. "Oh Lord, I am so sorry. Forgive me for my self-centeredness. Oh Lord, I thank you for all your blessings. Thank you for all your goodness to me. Thank you for my salvation. Thank you for my husband. Thank you for the children you have given me. Thank you for this home you have provided for me. Thank you that you are my God and you are watching over me."

As I thanked the Lord, the self-pity left me and once again I walked in victory.

Recently my daughter, Pearl, shared with me a similar experience. She was sitting in her little trailer home feeling very sorry for herself. She thought, "I deserve a bigger home than this. I haven’t been able to buy any new clothes for months. I have nothing nice and pretty to wear." The more she thought the more miserable she became.

In the middle of her misery, her little boy (about 10 months at the time) came up and gave her a big hug. He gave her the biggest smile with his little grubby face. Right then her heart burst open with joy. She realized that she had everything she needed. God had given her two beautiful children and she had a third one growing in her womb. She had a husband who loved her. What more did she need? She had more than she deserved. As she began to thank the Lord, all the material aspirations left her and she wrote the song called, "My Heart is Full!" Instead of being full of self-pity, she was now full of thankfulness to God for His blessings.

{mospagebreak} 

I’ll write the words here for you, but how I wish you could hear Pearl and Serene sing it together in harmony. It would really touch your soul. They are planning to record an album of songs for mothers and this song will be on it.

My Heart Is Full 

Little arms reaching for me,

Grubby fingers touch my face

And love is what I feel.

Little eyes looking at me,

Chubby cheeks burst with smiles

And joy is what I know,

Peeking in while they sleep at night,

I thank God for the gift of life,

I thank God for more than I deserve.

CHORUS:

My heart is full, my heart is full,

Why would I want for more

When my cup overflows?

My heart is full, my heart is full,

This much I know.

Strong arms reaching for me

Circle my waist for the millionth time

And love is what I feel.

Strong voice talking to me,

Whispering dreams and sharing hopes

And joy is what I know.

Sometimes I watch him sleep at night,

I thank God that I am his wife,

I thank God for more than I deserve.

CHORUS:

My heart is full, my heart is full,

Why would I want for more

When my cup overflows?

My heart is full, my heart is full,

This much I know.

BRIDGE.

Sometimes when discontent creeps into my soul

A still small voice reminds me of the ones my

arms can hold.

 

Dear mother, when you start falling into that slough of self-pity, stop! Don’t keep sliding down. Look up to the Lord. Start thanking Him for all His blessings. They are numberless. They are more than you can count. When you start praising instead of complaining, joy will fill your heart.

Have a wonderful week as you count your blessings.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Father God, please save me from being self-centered. I repent of my selfish ways and thoughts. Please convict me and arrest me when I get into self-pity, self-complacency, self-pleasing, self-satisfying, self-gratifying, self-seeking, self-pampering, self-conceit, self-serving, self-preoccupation and self-centeredness. Lead me out of self and into you. Give me a thankful and praising heart – in the good times and the difficult times. Thank you, Father, Amen."

QUOTE:

HOW TO BE PERFECTLY MISERABLE

Think about yourself.

Talk about yourself.

Use "I" as often as possible.

Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.

Listen greedily to what people say about you.

Expect to be appreciated.

Be suspicious.

Be jealous and envious.

Be sensitive to slights.

Never forgive a criticism.

Trust nobody but yourself.

Insist on consideration and respect.

Demand agreement with your own views on everything.

Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favours shown.

Never forget a service you may have rendered.

Be on the outlook for a good time for yourself.

Shirk your duties if you can.

Do as little as possible for others.

Love yourself supremely.

Be selfish.

THIS RECIPE IS GUARANTEED INFALLIBLE.

Author unknown.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

We continue our meditation from the last two weeks as we seek to dig up the things that are precious to God and separate them from the worthless. If you haven’t read the previous two devotions, go back and read them too, so you can understand what has gone before.

GOD’S PEOPLE

Lamentations 4:2, "The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold…"

Do we look upon God’s redeemed people as precious? Or do we destroy them by gossip and judgmental attitudes? Let’s ask God to see His people as He sees them.

Let’s look at how the psalmist viewed God’s people. Psalm 16:2-3, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord; my goodness extends not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."

When the psalmist was overflowing with love and praise the Lord, he extended it not only to the Head, but also the body - the saints in whom he delights. He calls them "the excellent" which is a powerful word. In the Hebrew it is addir, which means ‘mighty, gallant, great, powerful, glorious, majestic, splendid, stately and distinguished.’ It is also used of God in Psalm 8:1.

This may not be how the body of Christ is truly portrayed today. However, it is a picture of the triumphant bride who will emerge in the last days "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." In the meantime, instead of judging, let’s pray that God will truly be revealed in each individual believer and consequently in the corporate body of Christ.

A GENTLE AND QUIET SPIRIT

1 Peter 3:4, "Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is." very precious in the sight of God

This is the kind of spirit God is looking for in His women. It is very precious to Him. The Greek word is poluteles and it means ‘extremely expensive, very precious, of great price, very costly.’ If it is so very precious to God, don’t you think it should be precious to us too? Shouldn’t we seek after it with all our hearts? Shouldn’t we separate it from the callous, hard, independent and rebellious attitude we often display?

This is the same attitude God talks about in Philippians 2:5-8, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Seek God to help you be gentle in mothering and nurturing your children. Seek God to have a quiet and submissive spirit to your husband whom God has placed as head of your home. This attitude may be laughed at by the world but it is of surpassing value in God’s sight.

A VIRTUOUS WOMAN

Proverbs 31:10 AMP, "A capable, intelligent and virtuous woman, who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls."

Who is a virtuous woman? The word virtuous in the Hebrew is chayil. It means ‘virtue, valor, military strength.’ A virtuous woman is one who is strong in character. She is not strong in independence but strong in the precious qualities that God longs to see in his female creation.

Her strength of character enables her to submit to her husband instead of jumping up and down and demanding her own way.

Her strength of character enables her to guard her mouth, instead of spitting out harsh and hurtful words.

Her strength of character enables her to stand strong against temptations of lust. She is strong in morality and purity. She will be true to her husband as long as she lives. She lives only unto him as she vowed on her wedding day. In fact, her strength of character enables her to stand true to her marriage vows no matter what difficulties she faces – "for better, for worse, in sickness and in health…" etc.

Her strength of character will keep her calm and trusting God even when life is overwhelming and full of trials. The virtuous woman is one who knows how to trust in her God, no matter what is happening around her.

Her strength of character will save her from getting sucked into the humanistic mindset of this world. She is not swayed by the crowd and what everyone else is doing. Instead, she searches the Word of God to see what God says. Her life is lived by the eternal principles of the God’s Word rather than the mindset of current society. She is prepared to do it God’s way even if no one else is following!

Her strength of character will save her from lowering herself to gossip and worthless words. When she speaks, she opens her mouth in kindness. Proverbs 31:26 says, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Her strength of character saves her from being taken up with herself and thinking only of her own needs. Her heart is big and open to the needs of others. Proverbs 31:20 says, "She stretches out her hand to the poor; yes, she reaches forth her hands to the needy." Read also 1 Peter 5:10 for a description of a woman who lives the way God intends.

Her strength of character enables her to work hard and make sure that her family is fed and clothed. She "looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27.

This woman is very precious. But dear mothers, don’t despair if you don’t feel that you have arrived. You cannot wave a wand and become a virtuous woman. You will grow into it as you seek God, seek His precious Word, and seek wisdom.

TRUSTING GOD WHEN HE DOESN’T ANSWER

Jeremiah 15:18-19, "Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them."

We now come back to the first scripture with which we started this meditation two weeks ago. What is happening in this story? Jeremiah is really down in the dumps. He doesn’t trust God’s promises any longer. God isn’t coming through the way he wants him to. God isn’t answering his prayers. He feels that God has failed him and tells God so!

What is God’s reaction to Jeremiah? The Living Bible says, "The Lord replied: "Stop this foolishness and talk some sense! Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman."

God says it is vile to Him when we complain that He fails us. He wants us to separate from our complaining and grumbling spirit and to trust Him, even when He does not answer us. Can we trust Him even when we don’t see an answer in sight? Can we trust Him when we can’t even feel God?

Habakkuk 2:20 says, "The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him." In other words, God does not have to answer to mankind for what He does. He is God. We can have no arguments or queries against Him. All we have to do is trust Him – for He knows what He is doing.

God doesn’t have to answer our prayers. He doesn’t have to do it the way we want. He is the Sovereign Lord. All we have to do is trust Him no matter what. This attitude is most precious to God.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God, please forgive me for when I have not believed you. Help me to understand that I can trust you even when I can’t see you at work. Help me to separate this vile complaining spirit from me, so that I can say with all my heart, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Amen."

QUOTE:

"If you cannot trust God for temporals, how dare you trust him for spirituals? Can you trust him for your soul's redemption, and not rely upon him for a few lesser mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is his all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants? Dost thou want another eye beside that of him who sees every secret thing? Is his heart faint? Is his arm weary? If so, seek another God; but if he be infinite, omnipotent, faithful, true, and all-wise, why gaddest thou abroad so much to seek another confidence? Why dost thou rake the earth to find another foundation, when this is strong enough to bear all the weight which thou canst ever build thereon?" Spurgeon.

 

We continue our meditation from last week as we seek to dig up the things that are precious to God and separate them from the worthless.

WISDOM

Proverbs 3:113-15, "Happy is the man that finds wisdom… she is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her."

How can you dig for wisdom? You won’t find her watching TV and videos. You won’t find her reading novels. You won’t find her listening to the mindset of this humanistic society. You have to look beyond that. You will find it seeking after God’s heart and His mind. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We have to seek a higher plane. We seek after many things in this world, but God says that nothing can be compared to seeking wisdom.

In Proverbs 9:1 it tells us that, "Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars." What are the seven pillars of God’s wisdom like? James 3:17 gives us a picture. It is…

utterly pure

peace-loving

courteous and gentle

easy to be entreated and willing to yield

full of compassion and good fruits

without partiality

without hypocrisy, sincere and free from doubts

Are these pillars of wisdom flowing through your life as you mother in your home? Do these wisdom attitudes influence your relationship with your husband? Separate these pillars of wisdom from the selfish and independent spirit that often creeps into our hearts. Don’t let them get lost in the midst of all that is going on in your life.

SPEAKING KNOWLEDGE

Proverbs 20:15, "There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel."

May God fill your lips with His wisdom and His word that it will constantly drop from your lips as you daily teach and train your children. Mothers should have lips that drop with wisdom and the knowledge of the Lord. Scriptures that speak about "dropping" words are Job 29:22 and Ezekiel 21:2. The word is nataph and it means ‘to ooze, drip, flow, to speak by inspiration.’ May God’s ways and His words literally ooze and drip from our lips.

A GOOD NAME

Ecclesiastes 7:1, "A good name is better than precious ointment…" Read also Proverbs 22:1

It is more important to keep a good name than compromise. If we give our word, let’s keep it, even if it is inconvenient for us. I love the example of David in 1 Samuel 18:30, "David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by." In the margin my Bible says that ‘much set by’ literally means precious.

GOD’S THOUGHTS TO US

Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand." Read also Psalm 40:5.

Take time to meditate on God’s thoughts. Let them fill your mind. When I was a young teen I memorized Joshua 1:8 and it has been part of my life ever since, "This book of the law shall not depart of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

The word ‘meditate’ in the Hebrew is 'hagah' and it contains three different meanings:

• to ponder, muse, meditate, imagine
• to mutter, to murmur
• to speak the word out loud

As you meditate on God’s thoughts to you, murmur them to yourself. But don’t keep them to yourself; speak them out loud to others. Bless others with the revelations that God gives to you.

Teach your children how to separate the vile thoughts from their minds and to think precious thoughts.

PRAYER:

"Dear Lord, please help me to separate vile thoughts from my mind – the negative thoughts of unbelief, discontentment, despair, bitterness and self-pity. Lord, I want the meditations of my heart to be acceptable in your sight. I ask you to transform my mind. Fill my mind with precious thoughts – thoughts of faith, hope, love, joy, gratitude, thankfulness and joy. Amen."

QUOTE: