Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Exodus 39:38: “The golden altar . . . “

Pure gold speaks of gold in its purest form. It also speaks of great value and worth. It is likened to God himself. The ministry of prayer and worship is of endless worth and should never be treated as unworthy of serious attention.

Many people underestimate the enormous value of prayer and worship and tend to have a neglectful attitude towards it. But God puts a high priority on prayer. He ordained this ministry to be the way we communicate with Him, the Almighty God.

Profanity is the sin of taking the holy things of God, making them light, and cheapening them. Esau did this over his birthright and no amount of tears could restore it back to him (Hebrews 12:15-17).

By and large, the modern-day church has very little involvement in prayer and as a result we have shut ourselves off from God’s involvement in our lives. When we are too busy to pray, we show God that this ministry is not a golden ministry to us.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

References about the golden altar of incense: Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38; 37:25-29; 39:38; 40:5, 26; Psalm 141:2; Luke 1:9-11; Revelation5:8; 6:9; and 8:3-5.

If God wants His house to be called a HOUSE OF PRAYER, should not our homes also be houses of prayer? Sadly, we have allowed thieves to come into our homes and steal away the most important thing God wants in our homes. This is how He wants His house to be named. This is how He wants your home to be named! A HOUSE OF PRAYER!

Prayer distinguishes the place where God delights to call home from all other homes. Prayer turns ordinary, humble dwellings into homes of great power.

“My house” implies that the owner of the house is God. The devil tries to steal payer from our lives and our homes. When we allow the world, the flesh, or the devil to steal prayer from our homes and churches, we can no longer call them “God’s house” any more. This refers to the church gathering we attend, the home we live in, and even more importantly, our physical bodies which house the Holy Spirit.

Prayer denotes a humble dependence upon God. Prayer brings the presence of God to bear against all enemies.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It is possible that we have become nation highly educated in the secular, but highly uneducated in prayer and seeking God daily.

How can America ever become great again if we do not emphasize, in our Christian families and churches, the need to call upon the Lord? It is only families who know how to pray to the only true God that will make America great again.

We all know 2 Chronicles 7:14. When will it become our testimony? “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

It is only God, through the prayers of His people, who can make America great again.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

God wants His influence (we are the salt and light) to impact every area of human involvement. Many occupations of life require a high degree of education. However, this does not mean that a greater emphasis should be put on secular education in place of spiritual education. We can only be the salt and light and a godly influence on our fellow man if we are daily prayed up and have strong daily doses of God’s Word.

God wants His kingdom, like leaven, to infiltrate every area of our lives, both in our homes and in our places of work. Matthew 13:33 says: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the WHOLE WAS LEAVENED.”

As fully surrendered Christians, what’s the point of being successful in our natural calling in life if we are not successful in our spiritual calling?

Jesus aid in Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This does not mean we should put His kingdom first only on the day we first decided to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, but every day following.

Some people thing that this Scripture only applies to the one day a week, e.g. Sunday. There could be nothing further from the truth.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We are asleep if this does not concern us.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Many of our precious young people in this country of liberty and freedom are weighed down with social problems at home, as well as with their friends at school and work. This multiplies suicide and drug overdose to try and escape the mental and emotional pressures.

It all boils down the fact that they do not have praying parents who in turn taught them how to seriously, and I must say, gratefully and cheerfully, bring everything in their lives to God in prayer.

PRAYER SHOULD BE THE TOP PRIORITY FOR EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES!
James 1:6 says: “You have not because you ask not.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Many are deceived into believing it is godly to limit the number of children they should birth and raise. Many are deceived into pushing their children into socialistic state schools where liberalism and anti-conservative values are taught and practiced.

If you are a conservative guest speaker, you may be attacked and screamed down. What happened to freedom of speech in many of our college/universities today?

It is increasingly evident that we are in the midst of a big spiritual battle for the heart and soul of our nation. If the early church believed they needed the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we need Him at this critical time of our history.

As parents, there some important things we can and must do for our children. Firstly, we must teach them about the Holy Spirit having His rightful place in their lives. How can they desire Him if they don’t know Him?

Secondly, we must daily pray for them so their hearts will be open and desirous of His involvement in their lives.

Thirdly, we must find some place of worship where the Holy Spirit is moving so they will become more familiar with the Holy Spirit’s moving in other people’s lives.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We must bear in mind that Acts 10:44-46 was the FIRST service to a company Gentiles who were not even born again believers. To me, I think that whatever was good enough for the FIRST service to the Gentiles, should be good enough for every succeeding service down through the history of the church! Would you agree?

Throughout the Acts of the apostles and Paul’s letters to the churches, it is obvious that the Holy Spirit was very active (1 Corinthians, chapters 12 -14). In these chapters Paul gives understanding, correction, and order to those in the church who were experiencing these gifts. There would be no need for Paul’s instructions regarding the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in most of our churches today because there is no room for Him to move, nor is there any desire or expectation for Him to move.

Are we really saying, “Holy Spirit, we don’t really need or want You to move in our services for we can manage very well without You. Thank you all the same”? I certainly hope not. And I mean that with all my heart.

Holy Spirit-filled parents want their children to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In this hour of our history, we need the Holy Spirit to fall again upon all those who hear the word, especially our children.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The same thing happens in most of our church services. We enjoy the lifeless, sugar-coated, devitalized liturgical sermons that appeal to our dumbed-down spiritual senses. We are contented with a “form of godliness, but deny the power thereof” (2 Timothy 2:5). The rest of the Scriptures says: “From such turn away.”

We owe it to our children to do better than this. When we have the real bread, there will be healing. There will be life. There will be power to transform. If your place of worship does not feed you and your family with living bread, make sure you have it in your homes--evening and morning devotions.

We are not in the same position as the Canaanite woman who had no legal claim to Christ who was the healing bread. Thank God, we are now, by His grace, adopted into sonship and have every legal claim to His living bread.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Matthew 12:22, 33: “Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were AMAZED, and said, Is not this the son of David?”

Mark 1:25-27: “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all AMAZED, insomuch that they questioned among themselves say, what thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority commendeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.”

Mark 2:11, 12: “I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all AMAZED, and glorified God, saying, we never saw it on this fashion.”

Mark 6:51: “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore AMAZED in themselves BEYOND MEASURE, and wondered.”

Mark 9:15: “And straightway all the people, when they behold him, were GREATLY AMAZED, and running to him saluted him.”

Acts 2:7: “And they were all AMAZED AND MARVELED, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?” This happened after the disciples “were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (v. 4).

Acts 2:12: “And they were all AMAZED and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?”

Acts 9:21: “But all that heard Paul were AMAZED, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem?”

Why have I listed these Scriptures? Because it high time for our nation and the families of this generation to be amazed again. Eloquence and oratory have no power to transform and amaze lives.

Paul confessed in 1 Corinthians 2:4: “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Only this will amaze.

The truth is that our God has not changed. Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

I believe our young families have a desire to see more life in the churches they attend. They’re not all attracted to dead, dry, traditional formalism. They are not attracted to legalistic, heavy, stoogy doctrinal teaching that has no life and power to edify or save. Young families would rather be where people are being filled with the Holy Spirit, set free, healed from their bondages, and filled with the holy fire that comes down from heaven. Young families want to feel the presence of God. They want to attend a church or gathering where the atmosphere is pulsating with the power and love of God. Young couples, along with their children, are starving for the reality of the truth. They want their children to tune into heaven and turn on to the real power of God.

They want to be amongst others who are on fire and who are enthusiastic for truth. They want to be amongst others, be they young or old, whose hearts are beating with the love of God and who do not want to stop rejoicing and worshipping God.

Gone are the days of short-winded services that barely last an hour. Stiff, starchy time frames are not for those who like Mary, want to sit at Jesus’ feet and love on Him. We want to be in a church where God is moving so powerfully that no one wants to leave.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Christian parents, we do not want our children to grow up in so-called Christian homes where we have a “form of godliness, but deny the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Our children deserve much more than dead, dry, Biblical doctrine that has no presence of God accompanying it.

Each one of our children need to see that our God still opens the eyes of the blind and causes the deaf to hear. They have a right to see that our God still heals the sick and performs miracles, signs, and wonders. He still raises the dead and sets the captives free.

Our children need to know what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrew 13:8). We owe it to our children for them to see these things happening before their own eyes. How can they possibly stand before the intellectual atheism of this age if they do not experience a real encounter with the miraculous power of our God?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

See! Children are the LORD’S estate,
The body’s sweetest fruits;
Like arrows in a giant’s hand,
Are they, your youthful sons.
The man is blest who has with them,
Filled up his quiver full,
He will not shame when he may meet,
His foemen in the Gate.

Leonard Ravenhill said: “In all thy getting, get unction.” Unction is another word for anointing. Perhaps we have been wrong in primarily equating the anointing with preaching and certain music which moves us deep down in our hearts and spirits.

We read in the Scriptures that the original anointing oil was applied to the High Priest of Israel and to his sons who were set apart from the secular to serve the Lord in a religious sense. The kings of Israel were also anointed with olive oil and set apart to lead God’s people in a civil sense.

The anointing was often accompanied with divine wisdom, authority, and prophetic utterances. The anointing enabled the anointed to accomplish amazing and miraculous feats to overcome their enemies. The anointing brought God on the scene.

I believe that the Christian families of our nation need Holy Spirit-filled fathers to raise sons and daughters in the ways of God, especially in these challenging times.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

If God as a father gave His very best for us because He wanted us to become His own special sons and daughters, how can we not be like Him in our fatherhood?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Painting: “Testing the Waters” by New Zealand artist, Barry Ross Smith.