Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Jude 1:20, 21 says, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

Men, because of all the challenges we daily face in so many areas of our lives, we must continually keep ourselves strong in the Lord. It's one thing to go to a gym, eat the right foods, and workout to keep our physical bodies strong and in good shape, but it is another thing to be strong and in good shape spiritually.

Children and teens need spiritually strong fathers. Fathers who are up with the play (know what's going on). Fathers who set strong standards and boundaries for their children. Many of the problems that Christian families have with teenagers getting off the tracks is because fathers are not up with the play of what's really going on in their children's lives.

Men, we not only have to be more involved with our children, but we should be always ready to give them godly advice and direction in a loving and non-threatening way. A father who constantly threatens his children tends to get their backs up and creates rebellion and resistance. When counseling and directing our children, make sure the children know that love is coming through at the same time. This can only happen by being prayed up in the Holy Spirit.

Men, just as you see the importance of a physical workout to keep yourselves trim and fit, don't forget the absolute importance of being prayed up so that your spiritual batteries will be always charged up to the max.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

When we think about homeland security our minds automatically go to airports, CIA, police security, and our Coast Guard, etc. We don't think of our own homes, families, the land where we walk every day and influence other lives. Yet, this is the area for which we as fathers and mothers must take personal responsibility. This is where we must be most vigilant to guard against all enemies that would corrupt our morals and godly standards.

It seems somewhat ludicrous that we should be more interested in national security to guard us from terror attacks and yet at the same time fail to seriously protect ourselves from the spiritual darts and arrows that Satan and his demons seek to fire at us each day.

Common Core education has nothing in common with true Christianity. This is where we desperately need homeland security.

Each new day, abortionists shed the blood of thousands of our nation's unborn children. This is a national sin that opens up a wide door for all types of enemy attack. We desperately need the continual outcry of the true church against this sin. This is part of our homeland security.

As true Christians we must guard our families from all forms of moral perversions such as Internet pornography. We need homeland security on all the electronic devices that entertain our families these days.

We must stand up against all leadership that compromises truth, whether in our churches or politics. This is a major part of homeland security.

We must take a strong stand on marriage and encourage purity, faithfulness, love, and godliness. This is also a major area where we need homeland security.

As Christian men, with our families, we must engage in the battle for real homeland security. The very soul of our nation is at stake.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

THE STATE OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY REFLECTS THE STATE OF OUR SPIRITIUAL BORDERS.

Numbers 33:55 says, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thrown in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

Despite all the rhetoric coming out of Washington concerning our national safety and awareness, the question still remains, "How safe are we really?"

Since 9/11 2001 the general public who regularly travel through airports are given the impression that our government genuinely looks out for our safety. However, any one in their right mind understands that while our southern border continues to remain as porous it is to this very day, with literally tens of thousands of illegals permitted to gate crash our immigration system every year, that our airport security is only window dressing to make us feel falsely secure. Our present federal government is virtually standing at the border with a big celebration cake full of goodies in order to make would-be terrorists feel welcome and safe in a America. What a joke.

The reason I point this it is because the Christian church, as far as its spiritual borders are concerned, parallels the nation with its wide borders that allow the world, the flesh, and the devil to come pouring in at an unprecedented rate. And often with the same welcome cake to celebrate their arrival. I think that as far as border security is concerned, the southern border reflects the border state of the church and will continue to do so until the church wakes up to what we are negatively allowing in to destroy our morals, our marriages, and our families.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 118:6 says, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"

Our Homeland Security arose to new levels of vigilance following 9/11. As Christians, we must also constantly be on the alert for spiritual and immoral terrorists that seek to attack and destroy our moral values in individuals, families, homes, churches, and the nation.

To be honest, I believe that spiritual vigilance regarding our nation's values is the first line of defense and needs the most attention. Our nation's border defense systems against physical enemies, e.g. Islamic terrorist organizations are secondary, although I do not seek to undermine their strategic importance. The question is: how safe are we? Even if we have all our borders and ports of entrance covered with the most sophisticated technology (which we do not), if our national morals and godly values are not vigilantly guarded, are we really safe?

As a nation, we must understand that real protection comes from God. Unless He is on our side, we remain vulnerable for all kinds of attack. Moral values are under serious erosion in our nations. The sanctity of marriage is under massive attack--both from the homosexual agenda as well as unfaithfulness and divorce, even in the church. Abortion is the shedding of innocent blood and that blood continues to flow in an ever increasing stream throughout our nation's abortion clinics. How is that we are so indignant at ISIS slashing innocent people's throats while our own nation slashes the throats of our own unborn babies? What hypocrisy and blindness.

As families, churches, and nations we must never ever forget that God is our most important line of defense. True homeland security is very much a spiritual thing.
If God is not watching over us to protect us from all enemy attack then we are of all people most vulnerable.

We should make it our most urgent business to keep God on our side. Whatever is an offence to God must also be an offence to us. We must never, as a nation, take God's protection for granted. I fear this what we have done and continue to do.

Psalm 127:1 says, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Today is 9/11 2014. 9/11 2001 was a wakeup call for America. Despite what many think, I believe America did right by responding with appropriate action to strike back at the two nations who were mainly responsible for harboring and assisting the Al Qaeda terrorist organization that cruelly and callously attacked and killed so many thousands of innocent peace-loving Americans. They had done them no harm nor threatened them. This was a premeditated murder of American citizens simply because they hate us because we are not Islamic and practicing their Sharia law. And also because as Christians we support Israel who they also hate.

They have to know that we owe it to our nation to show appropriate response to their attacks.

The big question is: How aware are we? Having dealt them a massive blow in both those countries, we decided to withdraw and take a more softer and tolerant approach toward them. Now we reap the tragic results with an even bolder and more barbaric ideology in new and improved terrorism.

America woke up for awhile but soon drifted back into dozing. America has been called to wake up and stay awake. As Christian families we must learn that prayer is the method God uses to keep us awake and alert. We must be on the alert spiritually, for our nation's sake.

I believe God is calling for families, as well as individuals, to wake up and pray as never before. If ever there was a time in all our history to pray, that time is NOW.

Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 22:46: "Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

Battle fatigue is as real in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural. In the day of attack it is a good strategy to surround ourselves with like-minded people who will help to hold up our hands when we become weary and fatigued.

There are two major components to every battle, the physical and the spiritual. Exodus 17:11, 12: "And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."

In this passage of Scripture, Joshua and his army were fighting against the Amalekites who were attacking Israel. God clearly demonstrates that the physical victory for the armies of the Lord was very dependent on the spiritual battle being fought on "the top of the hill" (Exodus 17:10). Moses held up his hands with the "rod of God" (the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Word of God). This same rod had performed many miracles before Pharaoh in Egypt. It was used to divide the Red sea.

Even in this current battle against ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, the Muslim Brotherhood and many other terrorist organizations there are still two components--the natural and the spiritual. To defeat these modern day Amalekites we must be men and women (and of course families) like Moses, Aaron, and Hur who will hold up holy hands with the "rod of God" and attack the spiritual evil powers that drive the Amalekites.

Thank God for the coalition of western powers who are doing what they can physically do, but relying only upon the physical when fighting against evil will not and cannot defeat the forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. Remember that "the top of the hill" signifies that the battle must be won in the heavenly realm in order for the physical armies to prevail.

This is where we fathers, along with our families, have a very important role to perform The battle against extreme Islam is a spiritual fight. We fathers must teach our growing sons and daughters how to fight in the heavenly realm. We must teach them what it means to lift up holy hands with the high praises of God in our mouths and a two edged word in our hands (Psalm 149:6).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

1 Timothy 2:8: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

Psalm 134:2: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord."

Psalm 141:2: "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

In 2 Kings 13:18, 19 (ESV) the prophet, Elisha tells Joash, the king of Israel: "'Take the arrows,' and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground with them.' And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.'"

Men, we must maintain a vigilant fight in prayer, along with our families, in praying for the suffering, persecuted church, as well as many other national and international needs. Someone has said that "Quitters never win and winners never quit."

I think that Elisha wanted to end his life here on earth with another great victory for God and Israel, but sad to say, he died an angry and disappointed man. This was because of an apathetic king who lacked stickability in warfare. He should have struck the ground five or six times, especially as verse 16 tell us that "Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands."

King Joash lacked prophetic insight and perseverance. He only smote three times and stopped. Now Syria would only be defeated three times which would not be enough to consume them.

Perhaps the king only had three arrows in his quiver. He should have had more. Psalm 127: 4, 5 says, "As arrows in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gates." Men, we should desire, if possible, that God would give us a full quiver and that by His grace we should fire every one of our arrows into the battle of the Lord. We must not in any way take the weapon of prayer too casually. We must train each one of our children in the art of persistent warfare prayer.

ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, and the Muslim Brotherhood and many other terrorist organizations will win if we as families across the world to not persistently pray.

We need to ask ourselves the question: why should they win any victories at all when we have the Captain of the Lord's hosts on our side? We must never let them win one single battle simply because we are not persistent and quit praying.

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Revelation 17:6 says, "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." The ISIS terrorist group are not ashamed to publicly shed blood. Could they become worse than the Nazis? Is it possible?

How could anything could be worse than the cruel atrocities committed by the Third Reich of Germany on the millions of Jews of Europe during the time of World War II--the mass deportations in cattle cars, the splitting up of families, the cruel slave labor and extermination camps, the gas chambers, and the mass graves. Much of this was kept a secret for they were embarrassed to let the world know the levels to which they had stooped to people who were unarmed and who for generations had been citizens of their European countries.

The big difference with ISIS is that they are not ashamed to make public their barbaric acts of torture and violence. They want the whole world to know the cruelty of their ideology. One would think that such cruelty would cause Islamic young people, both men and women, to distance themselves from ISIS but this is not the case. Thousands of young people have been attracted to join up and offer their services to this evil, deluded, butcher-style militancy. Many have left the comforts of their western nations to offer their lives to further this evil cause.

How can we not be challenged by the craziness and false zeal of these deluded people who believe they are serving God as they lop of innocent people's heads? As families, we need to pray that God will clothe us with His true, loving, and righteous zeal that will enable us to defeat and bring down the armies of the enemy. With the high praises of God in our mouths, and a two edged sword in our hands, we will bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron (Psalm 1459:6, 7).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It takes men of backbone to speak the truth.

Men who are wishbones wish that things were better. They wish they had the prosperity of past years. They wish God would answer their feeble prayers. They wish that someone else would speak up for them. But they themselves will not lift a finger or a toe to make a solid stand for truth.

IT'S HIGH TIME FOR MEN WITH REAL BACKBONE TO SPEAK UP FOR TRUTH.

~ Colin Campbell

2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

From what I am reading and hearing the buzz word for this moment of time is NOW. Now is the time for the nations of the world, who do not want to be ruled by the deluded terrorist group called ISIS and other terrorist groups, to act and do something of substance to defeat them. RIGHT NOW is the time.

We do not have time for long dialogue or drawn out committee meetings. I read an article this morning from CNN of a young man who only two weeks ago defected from ISIS because the group was "spreading injustice in the name of justice." However, he still believes in their ideology. Thousands of foreigners are estimated to have joined their ranks, including USA and UK.

Just as the world realizes, hopefully, that NOW IS THE TIME to wake up to action, so as Christians we must also realize the importance of NOW. Now is the time for us to take military action in the spirit realm. Now is the time for us to pray as families for those who are being downtrodden, beaten, and persecuted.

Now is NOT the time for coffee and tea gatherings or prayer breakfasts where we do more talking and breakfasting than praying. Now is not the time for levity, laughing, joking and telling funny stories.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET SERIOUS AND ARM OUSELVES TO DO BATTLE.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Referenced article. "Inside the mind of an ISIS fighter." CNN.com

"Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful; the worldly-minded, prayerless. Christians call on God; worldlings ignore God, and call not on His name."

~ E. M. Bounds

Proverbs 24:10-12 says, "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forebear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"

Men, how sad it was to hear of another beheading of an American journalist, who is also an Israel citizen. It caused my blood to boil with righteous indignation. I heard this morning that there are those in America who have listened to the propaganda of ISIS saying that unless we stop striking their military convoys that they will continue to behead more journalists. These people are calling on Obama to stop all attacks against ISIS. Knowing in my spirit the foolishness of many in the West and their overly tolerant stand towards Islam as a peaceful religion, I am not surprised to hear this call to pull back. I feared it would happen.

This is a matter for serious prayer and we Christian families gathering around our meal tables must ask the Lord to raise up whatever it takes to crush to powder the demonic blood-lusting spirits of extreme Islam. Just as we expect our physical military to fight with valor and honor, so must we as Christian families fight and war in the spirit realm to put into disarray and utter confusion the evil, murderous spirits that drive and direct the soldiers of Islam extremists.

Natural weapons and armies cannot defeat demonic forces for they are spiritual. They can kill and destroy the physical human element, but that is not enough. It also takes the humble prayers of Christian families who know how to war in the spirit through the use of prayer to attack and grind to powder Satan's demonic armies.

Keep praying and don't give up.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

"Prayers must be red hot. It is the fervent prayer that is effectual and that availeth. Coldness of spirit hinders praying; prayer cannot live in a wintry atmosphere. Chilly surroundings freeze out petitioning; and dry up the springs of supplication.

It takes fire to make prayers go. Warmth of soul creates an atmosphere favorable to prayer, because it is favorable to fervency. By flame, prayer ascends to heaven. Yet fire is not fuss, not hear, noise. Heat is intensity--something that glows and burns. Heaven is a mighty poor market for ice."

~ E. M. Bounds

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

Men, perhaps one of the reasons that we have such conflicting news coming out of the Middle East war zones is that it is too dangerous for our journalists to go. These terrorists believe in subjugation by fear, but fear is of the devil and is not of God. We note that the gathering together of the allied forces is not for the purpose of "boots on the ground" but rather providing air strikes and aid. This could be because of the fear of soldiers being captured and brutally treated. This reveals that the West is afraid. We should not be afraid. This is not the message we should send to these murderous people who desperately want us to be afraid of them.

As Christians, we should not fear the sword of Islam. If we fear it to the point, that like journalists, we are afraid to go and help, and take the message of Christ to them, have we not fallen into the same snare of fear? The early church faced the wrath of Rome, fighting lions in the colosseum, brutality, and being burned at the stake, but they still put their "boots on the ground and "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).

We should not forget that Israel sent in over 65,000 troops into Gaza to deal with the terrorist group, Hamas, which is twice the size of ISIS! I personally heard an IDF soldier (released because of injuries) \speaking in Nashville who said "We were not afraid." They put their "boots on the ground." Should we do less? We Christians should not be afraid.

We are encouraged by many who are going into help in the war zones in Syria and Iraq with such organizations as Samaritan's Purse. We rejoice that 500 believers are joining Tommy and Sherri Waller and their family to harvest the grapes for the Judean farmers on the West Bank, even in time of war.

May God help us to be bold in this current hour. May we say with David, "How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" (Psalm11:1).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Matthew 16:18 says, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Men, while we face a very real battle in the spirit realm over the darkness of Islam and its endeavor for world domination through the sword, we must be constantly reminded of the absolute triumph and victory of Christ's kingdom.

Psalm 60:12 says, "Through our God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies."

Psalm 118: 16 says, "The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly."

We must meditate on the awesome power of our God to deliver the righteous. We must remember and take courage of how God used Gideon and only 300 men to defeat a vast army of Midianites and Amalakites (Judges 7:6-25).

In Genesis 14:14-16 we read how Abram rescued "Lot, and his goods and the women also, and the people" with only 318 men, even though they had been captured by a powerful confederacy of kings.

In 1 Samuel 14:6 we read: "Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few."

Martin Luther said, "One man with God is a majority." David proved that against Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

Men, let us not be tempted to think that we, along with our families, are too insignificant to make any difference in the great battles of the world. We can make a difference. As a praying, humble family we have the power to throw a big monkey wrench in the devil's strategies.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Colossians 2:15 tells us that at the cross Jesus "Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:15).

Men, these blood thirsty terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Boko Haram, and the Muslim Brotherhood, etc., have no match to the earnest prayers of God's humble servants who understand that Jesus Christ has defeated them and has made an open display of His victory over them at His cross. What the devil intended to be an open display of Christ's defeat at the cross turned out to be an open display of his own defeat.

These arrogant, ranting, unteachable, demon-inspired Imam clerics of the Muslim faith (who think nothing of lopping off the heads of all who oppose them, or even those who seek information such as journalists), must be shown through the prayers of God's people that all authority is now in the hands of our risen Christ Jesus. He shares this victory and authority with His praying people. They have learned what it means to bind and to lose (Matthew 16:19 and 18:18). The devils need to be reminded of defeat at the cross of Christ by the believers who know the privilege and authority of binding and losing.

I believe that this ISIS group has arrogantly over-stepped their cause by beheading journalists on YouTube for the world to see. With righteous indignation we must declare their defeat. We must not fear or be afraid of them for that is what they want. We do not have to beg them to release our loved ones for they love to torment mothers. This just encourages their sense of perverted superiority. We must earnestly pray that God will do whatever needs to be done to bring them down quickly.

Be encouraged

Coin Campbell

"Prayer is God's business to which men can attend. Prayer is God's necessary business, which men only can do, and that men must do. Men who belong to God are obliged to pray. They are not obliged to grow rich, nor to make money. They are not obliged to have large success in business. These are incidental, occasional, merely nominal, as far as integrity to Heaven and loyalty to God are concerned. Material successes are immaterial to God. Men are neither better nor worse with those things or without them. They are not sources of reputation nor elements of character in the heavenly estimates. But to pray, to really pray, is the source of revenue, the basis of reputation, and the element of character in the estimation of God."

~ E. M. Bounds

"For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake . . . Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you " (1 Samuel 12:22, 23).

I heard last night that the city of Falusia in Iraq has been taken by the terrorist group, ISIS. We must continue pray that these ruthless terrorists will be stopped dead in their tracks. I was so pleased to hear that last night people all over the world prayed for the persecuted church between 7.00 - 8.00 pm. Some of our grandsons were returning home from a basketball practice and were eating in Taco Bell. At 8.00 pm the stopped what they were doing and prayed for the Christians in Iraq right there in front of everyone. May God bless these boys for being so bold.

I think that many Christians would not regard it is as a sin against the Lord when we cease to pray for one another. Some may feel that Samuel had a special calling upon his life as a priest and therefore was obliged to pray, and this is true. However, as New Testament priests we also have the same obligation to pray for one another that Samuel had.

Fathers, you are the priests of your home and you are raising children to be priests. Our children will be greatly blessed by fathers and mothers who will educate their children in the priestly art of prayer. Through this education the kingdom of God will be greatly advanced.

Prayer has the power to change the world. Without it the world has the power to change us! This would be a sin against the Lord whose help to His people is reliant on prayer.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell