Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Today’s attitude about hope is rather amazing. Romans 15:13 reminds us that . . .

IT IS AN ABOUNDING HOPE
God does not intend us to live an ordinary life. God gives adjectives for every attribute He wants us to enjoy and experience. When He talks about hope, He wants us to ABOUND in hope.

Now get ready to understand this word. It is “perisseuo” and means “to superabound, to be excessive, to excel, abundant, enough and to spare, over and above.”

The hope God gives is far more than “I hope this might happen.”

• It is exuberant hopefulness,
• It is speaking words of confident expectation when everyone else is negative,
• It is an overflowing spirit of optimism,
• It is believing God will do good things when everything looks bleak.

To everyone else you will seem “over the top” and crazy. But it is normal Christian living. We all live so abnormally according to the biblical way of life.

We are all facing a world-wide dilemma as we face this corona virus. We read or watch on TV all the different projections of how many are going to die and how long it is going to continue. Dearest ladies, these are only projections. They are what MIGHT happen. They are not fact! And yet we say, “Yes, Sir,” and give into fear.

I know you are praying, but what could happen if we REALLY took time out to intercede and take authority over this virus in the realms of prayer? Prayer is powerful. But not little prayer. It is MUCH prayer (Revelation 8:3). It is the “effectual fervent prayer” of the righteous (James 5:16).

Psalm 53:5 says: “There were they in great fear, where no fear was.” I believe that we can see a BREAKTHROUGH as we pray and release words of HOPE to our families and everyone we are in contact with. Oh yes, you’ll be met with “doom and gloom,” but answer back with faith and hope. We must spread faith and hope, not fear.

We hang on to hope even when we don’t currently see any results. Paul writes in Romans 8:24, 25: “Hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

I recently read the wonderful little book, “MAKE YOUR BED – LITTLE THINGS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE . . AND MAYBE THE WORLD!” by Admiral William H. McRaven. He states in this book:

“Hope is the most powerful force in the universe. With hope you can inspire nations to greatness. With hope you can raise up the downtrodden. With hope you can ease the pain of unbearable loss. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference.”

IT IS A PATIENT HOPE
1 Thessalonians 1:3 talks about out being “patient in hope.” The word “patient” means cheerful and hopeful endurance. It means to keep joyfully hoping as you endure troubles. It does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial.

IT IS A HANGING ON TO THE END HOPE
Hebrews 6:11, 12 says: “And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hebrews 10:23 (NET): “And let us HOLD UNWAVERINGLY to the hope that we confess.”

Be blessed today and keep spreading hope,

NANCY CAMPBELL

Attitudes are contagious. When people speak words of fear it affects everyone around them. But when we rejoice and speak positive words, they affect everyone around us for good. Even in the midst of this virus, rejoice. Let your rejoicing be contagious.

I passed my neighbor in the car the other day. As we wound down our windows to greet one another, he said to me, “When people are full of fear, I ask them, ‘Do you know anyone who has this virus?’” He continued. “No one has yet told me they know anyone who as it.

I know many people, not only around where I live, but across the nation and the world, and I personally don’t know of one person who has this virus. Of course I know there are many who do (and statistics now reveal that anyone who needs to be hospitalized or may even die, are those whose immune systems are compromised or they have existing medical problems), but I personally don’t know of one yet.

I have shared before how fear is powerful. What we fear comes upon us (Job 3:25). I think fear is spreading more than this virus. It’s time we got out of fear and into hope. It’s time we began to spread messages of cheer and hope.

Dear ladies, I’m not being unthoughtfull (I grieve for those who contract serious cases of this virus, and we are in daily prayer) but I know the power of words. To spread words of health, positivity, and cheer brings salvation and healing. Words of fear bring death.

Romans 12:12 tells us to “REJOICE in hope.” This same Scripture reminds us to “endure in suffering.” The New English Translation says: “Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.” We keep hoping in the midst of stress and tribulation.

Romans 15:13 reminds us that when the God of hope dwells in us that He fills us with “ALL JOY AND PEACE in believing.” Did you get it? ALL joy! Not half joy and half fear, but ALL JOY. Not a little peace, but ALL PEACE. The Passion translation says: “Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him.”

Romans 14:17 says: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and JOY in the Holy Ghost.”

May you live in the overwhelming blessings of joy and peace today,

Nancy Campbell

I woke up the other night with the follow Scripture pounding into my mind: “”Now the God hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

This Scripture does not tell us to abound in hope only when everything is going well. It is an attitude we should have no matter what we face. At the moment, it seems that much of the current attitude is doom and gloom. And even worse, the spirit of fear. But this shouldn’t be the attitude of those who call themselves believers.

If God is truly our God, we will live in hope. Why? Because our God is a GOD OF HOPE! Yes, did you read those words? They are truth. God is a GOD OF HOPE! No matter what is happening in our individual lives or in the world, God is still in control, and when He dwells in us by the power of His Holy spirit, we dwell in hope.

Would you like to know the full meaning of the Greek word for hope? It is the word “elpis” and means:

• An energizing principle
• A spontaneous overflowing spirit of optimism
• A looking ever on the bright side of things
• A looking forward to only that which is good
• Believing that God is going to do something good
• Confident expectation
• Expecting continued blessing and joy
• Exuberant hopefulness, leaving us no room for worry
• To anticipate with pleasure

We can’t work this kind of attitude up. It comes through the power of the Holy Spirit who resides in our hearts. It’s is God’s attitude and therefore it becomes our attitude when He dwells in us.

And it is not a dead hope. It is a living hope. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us that we are born again unto “a living hope.” My grandson, Zadok, was talking to me about this hope yesterday. “Nana,” he said. “Because it is a living hope, we must feed it. If you don’t feed something that is alive, it soon dies.”

Are you feeding the spirit of hope that God has put within you? We feed it by . . .

• Living in the Word
• Standing on the truth of God’s Word
• Confessing God’s Word out loud
• Confessing our confidence and expectation in God
• Believing and confessing that God is doing good things! It is the opposite to doom and gloom and fear.

The other day I posted on my personal Facebook the fact that there is not one case of the corona virus in our country in Tennessee! Not one. Nor has our closest hospital had one hospitalization, and that’s a different county! What totally surprised me is that not one person acknowledged this good news with a positive comment. No one said: “Praise the Lord that you have none in your country. That’s wonderful.” Or “God is good. That’s great news.” Instead, even though this was good news, most of the comments were full of fear and doom and gloom.

Dear ladies, it concerns me that many are living in fear rather than hope.

Are we believers or are we nonbelievers? If we are truly believers, we will live in hope. Not a surviving hope, but a LIVING and ABOUNDING hope.

I’ve got more I want to share about hope, but you’ll have enough for one day. I’ll share more tomorrow.

In the meantime, let’s change gears from becoming victims of fear and a lot of information that is not true! Let’s be who we say we are. Let’s be believers who . . .

• Live in hope
• Speak words of hope to our family members
• Speak hope to a hurting and fearful world around us
• Release the spirit of hope instead of the spirit of fear
• Keep hoping when there is no reason to hope (Romans 4:18).

Overwhelming blessings to you and your family today,

Nancy Campbell

God reiterates the same theme in the New Testament in I Timothy 5:10 where He tells us that feeding and raising children is a “good work.” The Greek word is "ergon" and means, “work that is not accomplished by a single act but by accumulated labor and continued work.” That sounds like daily mothering, doesn’t it?

If you don’t already like work, can I suggest as I did yesterday, to start confessing that you love it. When you get up in the morning say aloud, “I love work.” “I’m looking forward to a day of work in my home today.”

Rejoice as you work. Sing while you work. You are in the perfect will of God.

Are you singing Hallelujah?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Don’t be asleep to the enemy’s tactics. Be on the offensive. Embrace your career of motherhood with all your heart. If you don’t love motherhood, begin confessing that you love it. You’ll be amazed at how you will change when you change your confession. Every morning when you get up, confess out loud, “I LOVE MOTHERHOOD!” Keep saying it until it is part of you.

Rise up in the power and anointing of motherhood. Build a strong marriage and home. Take up the challenge to raise godly sons and daughters who will not be influenced by this world system. In doing so, you will be part of reclaiming your nation for God.

Rise up today,

Nancy Campbell

Picture: Trisha Romance (1951, American).

Many young women today have no clue about cooking. Often it is because their mothers did not pass on this important art to them. Cooking nutritious and aroma-filled meals and sitting around the table together to enjoy them is a tradition that should continue down the generations!

And yes, cooking is an art. We learn it We hone it. I think that one of the reasons my daughters are doing TRIM HEALTHY MAMA today is that mealtimes were always the most special time of each day in our family life. We loved eating good food. We loved sitting around the table together and discussing, and yes, debating too. Our mealtimes were not quiet. They were filled with robust conversation and even loud voices!

That’s why cooking is so important. It’s not just cooking; it’s what it leads to. It paves the way for fellowship and interaction which is the spice of life. It’s one of the most important things to establish in your family home.

The art of cooking is being passed down the generations in our family. It’s already up to the fourth generation. My mother loved to cook healthy meals. She was famous for her nutritious soups, date scones, and bran muffins—apart from her dinner meals which were always delightful. It was a privilege for anyone to sit around her table.

Now my grand-daughter, Rashida, has the same anointing (among the other granddaughters), too, of course. Rashida is now married and expecting her third baby, but did you know that the next TRIM HEALTHY MAMA cookbook to come out (when it is ready) will be TRIM HEALTHY MAMA recipes by Rashida! Oh you will love them.

Rashida has always loved to cook. She started cooking for their family of twelve when she was a little child. The whole family missed her cooking when she married!

When my father was alive, he would come to visit us all from New Zealand each year. And each year Rashida would cook a special meal for her great-granddad. It was something special she loved to do for him. And he would go back to New Zealand and boast about it to everyone!

You’ll hardly believe what I’m going to tell you, but it’s true. I wrote it down all those years ago so I wouldn’t forget! She was only seven years old when she prepared this feast for her great-granddad—roast turkey with coos coos stuffing (including sundried tomatoes, cashews, pine nuts, figs and raisins) * marinated grape leaves stuffed with lebani, placed in a bowl with figs, dates, and black and green olives * mashed potatoes and gravy * salad with homemade dressings (almondaise and Green Greek dressing) and tamarind date chutney. Yes, there was dessert too—ginger steamed pudding and raw nut balls.

If a seven-year-old can do it, you can too. Hone the art so you can keep passing it on down the generations.

Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell

P.S. You may like to read this article, MORE THAN TOAST AND POTS AND PANS, that Pearl (my daughter) wrote years ago (before she was married) about my mother. It brings me to tears every time I read it.
http://aboverubies.org/…/846-family-meal-table-more-than-to…

Picture: Rashida Simpson, Meadow Hall, and Kahoru Barrett. Rashida and Meadow, cousins who spent every day of their lives together until they were married. Rashida and Jack have two darling little girls, Ezra and Emory and are now expecting a little boy. Meadow and Kendall have a little boy named Warren and they are also expecting a little boy (they are currently living in Japan).

You will see Meadow and Rashida (and their little ones) and other granddaughters in the new magazine, #97, page 2.

Meadow (Pearl’s daughter) and Kahoru are sisters-in-law. Kahoru is married to Bowen, Pearl’s oldest son and they have a little boy named Finn. Kahoru also loves to cook. She makes amazing creations, and everyone loves her desserts! They are all passing on the wonderful art of cooking and the love of family meal times.

What do you honor most in your home—the cross of Jesus Christ or the things of this world?

I love to sing hymns about the cross, don’t you? The following are words from the hymn by Thomas Kelly:

The cross: it takes our guilt away;
It holds the fainting spirit up;
It cheers with hope the gloomy day,
And sweetens ev’ry bitter cup.

Do your children know the hymn, “Tell me the story of Jesus” by Fanny Crosby? Here’s one stanza:

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”

May the cross overshadow everything we do and say in our home today.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Acts 4:12 says: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” That word “saved” does not only mean saved! It is “sozo” and means to be “delivered, protected, healed, preserved, and made whole!”

What about Proverbs 1818? “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

You can not only speak the name of Jesus. You can run into His name. As you run into Him you are safe. As you run into His name, you run into His healing for His name is Jehovah Rapha, “I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 1;26).

I love the words of the old hymn by John Newton:
How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Speak His name often today. Run into His name.

Love from Nancy Campbell

I could write about many things today, but perhaps I should write my thoughts about COVID-19. Although, of course, if you are like me, you’d like to hear about something else. It seems we don’t here anything else from the media at the moment.

However, it’s the issue we are facing and therefore we must take it seriously. But even as we use wisdom and do everything we can to protect ourselves, our families, and all those around us, we should never panic. It seems that people are prone to fear, and fear leads to panic. But why do we do this when “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a SOUND MIND” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Do you notice that? He has given us a sound mind. That means a mind that is self-controlled and doesn’t give way to panic. 1 Peter 3:6 exhorts us to be “Sarah’s daughters.” And how do we become her daughters? By not giving way to fear. The Moffat's translation says that “Sarah’s daughters do not yield to panic!”

When I discovered this Scripture years ago (still living in New Zealand and raising my family) I shared it with the mothers in my Bible Study. We took up this affirmation and whenever we faced a trauma or difficulty we would confess: “SARAH’S DAUGHTERS DON’T PANIC!” We would encourage each other with these words, and they helped us through many heartaches.

Therefore, while we live in a state of rest in Christ and do not fear or panic, what should we do? Here are a few things I’d love to share, and you may have others to add.

1. TRUST IN GOD. That certainly is No. 1., isn’t it? God is bigger than this plague. God is bigger than anything we face individually or as a nation. We can trust Him. The greatest way to eliminate fear is to TRUST IN GOD. One of my favorite Scriptures is Isaiah 26:3, 4: “”Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”

2. CLAIM THE PROMISES OF GOD. Open Psalm 91 and read it daily. Read it together as a family, out loud, each day. Of course, as we embrace the wonderful promises, we must accept the command as well. The promises are to those who dwell in the secret place of the most High, who abide in Him. To those who confess that God is their refuge and fortress and that they trust in Him.

3. PRAY. Yes, we pray for our families, but we must pray for our nation, and for our president, and against this virus. We have authority in the powerful name of Jesus. The most powerful weapon against this whole scenario is PRAYER. Are you praying? Make time to pray with your families together every morning and evening. Many people are no longer at their jobs and have more time to pray!

4. LIVE IN DIVINE HEALTH. This is God’s perfect will for you. Confess it over your life and each member of your family. God is Jehovah Rapha, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” That’s who He is! Nothing less. My daughter Pearl shared on Sunday Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

The name of the Lord is also HEALER and we can run into Him. As we run into Him and abide in Him, we receive His healing.

5. ENJOY FAMILY TIME TOGETHER. Don’t waste the opportunity to enjoy more family time together. One of my daughters-in-law was sharing with me yesterday how her husband is no longer out on the road (he manages the Newsboys and there will be no more concerts until June) so she is enjoying him home with her. Her youngest son is home from his Christian school. Her older daughter is doing her college course on-line and her married daughter and son-in-law are both in fields where they cannot currently go to work. So they are all home enjoying life together.

6. SPEAK POSITIVELY. Just because we are facing a few challenges, don’t speak negative words. They only bring destruction. Positive words heal. Proverbs 16:24 says: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, AND HEALTH TO THE BONES.” My dear husband, who will be 80 years in a couple of weeks, says with a huge smile on his face, “The worse this thing gets, the better I feel!” He loves making positive statements!

7. UPGRADE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. In fact, we need to supercharge it! Eat healthily and eliminate all sugar and every food product with sugar in it as it weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to colds at any time, let alone now. Take extra vitamins. Take big doses of Vitamin C. Some may also like to add Olive Leaf Extract, elderberry tincture, L-Lysine, etc. Others suggest mullein for lung health.

8. WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY. That’s what we are reminded to do, and it is common sense. One person told me that he is washing his hands frequently with chlorine! Ouch! I would hate to do that to my hands. We are encouraged to use hand sanitizers and I am sure most of you will do this. However, I don’t even like chemical hand sanitizers. I am making my own home-made sanitizer with handmade soap which I grate and simmer to the right consistency and add coconut oil and lots of drops of Thieves. It’s gentle and healing on my hands.

9. KEEP YOUR HANDS FROM YOUR FACE. Isn’t this the hardest thing to do? We do it subconsciously. Ooops! I just put my elbow up to my chin and then over my mouth as I was re-reading this sentence! I didn’t even realize I was doing it. We must make new habits!

10. KEEP YOUR MOUTH AND THROAT MOIST. A good idea is to sip water or a supercharged drink all throughout the day (about every 15 minutes). Trim Healthy Mama ladies will enjoy their Singing Canary or Good Girl Moonshine and other THM healthy drinks. I am currently making hibiscus tea and adding Baobab, ginger, cayenne, and loads of other goodies! Scrumptious and healing.

You can order Baobab from Trim Healthy Mama. As it says on their packet, “Baobab has five times the fiber of oats, more antioxidants than any other food on the planet, more than twice the calcium of milk, double the magnesium and iron of spinach, six times more potassium than bananas, and the best way to boost your vitamin C levels:”

A Japanese doctor who is treating this virus says that if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash it down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus. If you don't drink regularly, the virus can enter your windpipe and into the lungs.

11. KEEP SURFACES AND DOOR HANDLES SPRAYED WITH DISINFECTANT. It’s a good idea to do this every few days.

12. WHAT ABOUT BUYING UP EXTRA FOOD AND PRODUCTS? I think it is a good idea to get basic foodstuffs that you know you will definitely use. But I think many people panic. Some people must have purchased toilet paper for a year! By the time we got to the store, we couldn’t find any! Can’t even find any on-line. But I am sure more will come in soon. Although my husband says we always have the grass! Just joking!

There is still plenty of food on the shelves. My main storage foods are my rye and spelt grains to make my sour dough bread. And plenty of dried beans, etc. Most people don’t have the funds to purchase loads of extra food. Even if you can get some extra, that’s good. Springtime is coming and we’ll plants gardens.

The above are a few thoughts for you. Hopefully this shut down will finish soon. But remember, the most important thing we can do, especially as mothers who are the heart of the family, is to put our trust in the Lord, and DON’T PANIC. Just keep praying and praising the Lord.

Many blessings,

Nancy Campbell

We hear plenty from our deceived society around us. Let’s hear from God for a change: "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, HE FORMED IT TO BE INHABITED: I am the LORD; and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:18).

Did you read those words? God formed this earth to be inhabited and it is still nowhere near fully inhabited. Maybe, like me, you have driven from the west to the east of USA. You drive for miles and miles and miles with no inhabitants, pass through a city, and then drive for miles and miles again without seeing a house or a soul.

I have driven through Asian countries, driving for miles through jungle or acres and acres of palm trees, only seeing a few mipa huts here and there. Of course, the cities are filled but there is still so much room.

Why don’t we listen to God? He has everything in His control and every person in the palm of His hand.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Photo: Allison and Daniel Hartman. Allison is just about to give birth to their 11th baby! Allison and Daniel organize the great annual Above Rubies Family Retreat Florida each year. I think it’s nearly booked out for April but check it out This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We breathe without thinking; it is completely natural to us. It should also become natural to breathe out truth. Truth breathing mothers are powerful mothers. Of course, before we can naturally breathe it out, we must be filled with truth. Richly filled. And then we’ll richly fill our children’s hearts ( Colossians 3:16).

May we become so filled with truth that we breathe it out unconsciously.

This is the picture of the virtuous women. Every time she opens her mouth, she breaths out godly wisdom (Proverbs 31:26).

Let’s become truth-breathing mothers.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Don’t ever give up. Keep praying. Ask God to show you how you can break down barriers and walls. Ask Him to give you a soft heart and forgiving spirit. God is the ultimate Restorer, but He wants you to be involved too.

Isaiah 58: 12 says that you will be called: “The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

Do some restoration work today. I love the line that you will read in the coming Above Rubies magazine which is in the Post Office now. It says:

“Win the marriage, not the argument.” It’s such a good line to remember. What do you gain by winning an argument and losing the precious communion and relationship in your marriage? You don’t gain anything; you lose! So aim to win by building, repairing, and restoring.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Throw back all packaged and de-vitalized products.

Keep mainly to the produce aisle and basic whole ingredients. I refuse to purchase packaged cereals. You may as well eat the cardboard. Eat the original food. Cook up some rolled oats, steel cut oats (my favorite), quinoa, or millet, etc., for your children’s breakfast.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell