THE DELIGHTFUL WAY

Part 2

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil"
(1 John 3:8).

We continue to discuss The Delightful Way.

IT'S DEPARTING

To walk God's path we need to depart from evil. Psalm 34:12-14 tells us that if we want to love life and live a long and good life, we must "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." Job 28:28 says, "To depart from evil is understanding."

IT'S DESTROYING

This doesn't sound very delightful, does it? However, God's plan for Satan is destruction and this is the plan He wants us to have also. God has quite a number of "D" words He wants us to use against His enemies:

Destroy them: "Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them . . . " (Deuteronomy 7:2 -6). Read also Deuteronomy 1: 24; 12:2, 3; 13:15; 20:16-18; 33:27; Joshua 7:12; 11:20; 1 Samuel 22:38, 41; Psalm 18:40; 101;8 and 118:1-12).

God did not only tell Joshua and the Israel soldiers to destroy the enemy, but to UTTERLY destroy them (Joshua 10:28, 35, 37, 39, 40; 11:11, 12, 14, 20, 21; Judges 1:17 and 1 Samuel 15:3; 21-24).

God did not only tell them to utterly destroy the enemy, but to leave NOT ONE REMAINING. Joshua 10:40 says, "So Joshua smote all . . . he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed ALL THAT BREATHED as the Lord commanded." This statement is recorded ten times in Joshua, chapters ten, eleven, and fourteen.

Dispossess them: "Ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein" Numbers 33:53. This word "dispossess" means "to drive away, to seize, to devour, and invade for the purpose of settling territory."

Discomfort them: Gideon "discomforted all the host" (Judges 8:12). The word "discomfort" means "to make the enemy shake, to be afraid, to tremble." We have no power over the enemy in our own flesh, but as we lift up the name of Jesus and the blood of the Lamb we have power to overcome him. Through the power of prayer we can make the enemy tremble. Psalm 18:14 tells us how God discomforted the enemy.

A praying mother in the home can bring fear to the enemy. In the time of Deborah, the Israelites defeated King Jabin and his captain, Sisera, who had 900 chariots of iron. Sisera fled from the Israeli soldiers but was defeated and killed by Jael, a mother in her home. Read the story in Judges, chapters four and five.

As you embrace your God-given role of raising righteous young men and women whom you are also training to be devil-destroyers, the enemy shakes. He's not afraid of women who leave their home, but as a God-anointed home-loving, home-keeping, home-working, home-advocating, child-embracing, child-training, nation-changing, Spirit-filled, and devil-defeating mother, you are a threat to the enemy. You make him quake in his boots. You are dangerous!

James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Drive them out: "Drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee" (Exodus 23:32, 32 and Deuteronomy 9:3).

Why did God want them to be so utterly ruthless with the enemy? He gives two very good reasons:

1) Because if we don't deal with sin and evil, it will come back to vex us.

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 of you which you let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

2) Because we will be easily lured back into Satan's ways.

Psalm 106:34, 35 says, "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them: but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them." Read also Deuteronomy 20:17, 18 and 1 Corinthians 5:6).

To live a delightful life, we must depart all evil in our own lives and utterly cast it from our homes.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, please help me to have the same attitude toward evil that you have. Help me not to hold on to "just a little bit" but to completely eradicate from life and home. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am a dangerous woman to the enemy.

THE DELIGHTFUL WAY

Part 1

"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it"
(Matthew 7:13, 14 NLT).

Instead of leading downward, the delightful way leads upward. It's not the easiest way, but it leads to life and joy. Are you willing to walk this road? Come with me and let's find some of the principles we need to follow as walk this way. Once again, we'll keep to the D words.

IT'S DECLARING

We cannot effectively walk this road without declaring the works of God. We are not saved if we do not confess (Romans 10:9, 10). This is how we begin our Christian life and this how we continue it. We keep on confessing that Jesus Christ is our Savior. We daily confess the truths in His Word. We declare the works of the Lord. The Bible is full of such Scriptures. Here are a few to encourage you:

Psalm 40:9-11: "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."

Psalm 66:16, "I will declare what he hath done for my soul."

Psalm 96:10, "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth." We do not keep our testimony only amongst believers. We must tell the world. We tell the agnostics, the atheists, and the humanists that our God reigns and is the only Savior of the world.

Psalm 145:4-7, 11, 12: "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness . . .They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom."

2 Corinthians 4:13: "I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." Do you? How can we say we believe if we are not prepared to speak out our belief?

Hebrews 13: 6: "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Read also Psalm 71: 17; 107:21, 22; 119:13; Acts 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:1; Hebrews 11:14; and 1 John 1:5.

IT'S DECREASING

John the Baptist said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). This should also be our testimony. Less and less of me and more and more of Jesus. This is a big thing for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, because each one of us are inherently selfish. In our natural flesh we would like everything to revolve around us. Our flesh is self-serving and self-centered. We are only changed as we allow the Holy Spirit freedom to work in our hearts to conform us to His image. What is His image? He is the One who was prepared to leave the glory of Heaven and to become a man, to humble himself, and lose His reputation. And He wants us to have the same attitude (Philippians 2:5-8).

IT'S DEDICATING

King Solomon built a house for God to dwell (2 Chronicles 2:4). God no longer dwells in a temple but wants to dwell in our bodies instead. 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:16 tell us that our bodies have now become the Holy of Holies for the dwelling place of God. Have you dedicated your temple to God to be set apart totally for Him? Anything less is not fit for the narrow road.

We can never be reminded enough of Romans 12:2 can we? "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

IT'S DELIGHTING

Jesus Christ, the Son of God delighted to do the Father's will even though it took him to the cruel cross to pour out His blood for our sins. He declares in Psalm 40:8, "I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart." We also should have the same attitude to do our Father's will--not duty, but delight (Philippians 2:5-8). God's will for you, dear mother, is to embrace the role He has given you as a mother and to delight in nurturing and raising your children in your home. Don't let the enemy deceive you to think of it as a drudgery. Embrace it as a delight.

IT'S DELIVERING

We must constantly pray for ourselves, and for each one of our children, that we will be daily delivered from evil and from being lured into this world system.

Jesus told us to pray: "Deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:12).

Galatians 1:3, 4: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he mighty deliver us from this present evil world."

Paul knew that his death was imminent when he wrote these words from prison: "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (2 Timothy 4:18).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"I thank you, dear Father, for leading me to the narrow road. Please help me to walk a straight line on this road, never swerving to the right or the left. Help me to walk with joy and delight knowing that this road leads to life and immortality. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I've left the broad way that leads to destruction;

I'm on the narrow way that leads to life.

THE DOWNWARD WAY

"For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.
They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and DENY Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord"
(Jude 1:4 NIV).

There are some D words in the Scriptures that are warnings for us. I am sorry that this is not a very positive devotion as I much prefer to only write positive words. However, I must be faithful to the whole counsel of God. We as parents must also be faithful to all that God says in His word--the challenges as well as the lovely promises we like to claim. Therefore, because we want to hear all that God says to us, let's face the following warnings that lead to the downward path and teach them to our children also.

You will notice that God uses very strong words.

1. IT'S DAMNATION

a) To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:29 says, "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

b) To eat of the bread and wine at communion and yet still live in sin. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. . . . For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself . . . "

c) To despise the truth and instead take pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

2. IT'S DANGEROUS

Matthew 5:21, 22 tells us that to be angry with someone without a cause is dangerous.

3. IT'S DECEPTION

a) To serve any other god except Him. Deuteronomy 11:16 says, "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them."

It's interesting that God uses the word "deceived" when speaking about other gods as it is a very fine line. It is very easy to become passionate about something such as exercise, diet, or even a multi-level marketing selling and not even realize that it is taking more of our love and passion than God Himself.

a) To read God's Word and yet not obey it. James 1:22 says, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

b) To continue living in sin and yet think we'll still get to Heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Of course there will be thousands of such people in Heaven, but those who have been washed from their sin by the blood of Jesus. However, to continue in these sins bars us from Heaven.

c) To be prideful. Obadiah 1:3 says, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee."

4. IT'S DELUSION

Thessalonians 2:10-11 tells us that when someone will not receive the love of the truth in order to be saved, God sends them a delusion.

5. IT'S DENIAL

There are many Christians today who think they can live in immorality, fornication, and adultery and get away with it. That's not what the Bible says. Jude 1:4 (NLT) says, "Some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God's marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have DENIED our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." To live this way is to deny our Lord and Savior. Our "tolerance" to these sins does not change God's Word! Read the warnings in the rest of Jude 1.

6. IT'S DESPISING

Proverbs 15:32 says, "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getting understanding."

7. IT'S DESTRUCTION

a) To walk with the wrong crowd. I raised our children on the following Scripture: "He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20). Encourage your children to memorize this Scripture.

Especially as children get into their teens they become very aware of their peers and want to be like them. However, the young people they hang out with can determine their destiny. Many precious young people have gone astray from the faith, and even into rebellion, because they got into the wrong company. As parents, we must carefully guard the friendships of our children. This is one of the blessings of homeschooling. Many children from Christian families go astray, and are often destroyed, because of finding the wrong friends at school.

b) To refuse reproof and harden your heart. Proverbs 29:1 (NIV) says, "Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed--without remedy."

c) To be proud. Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

d) To speak foolish words. Proverbs 18:7 says, "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." Read also Proverbs 10:14 and 13:3.

e) To choose the easy way. Matthew 7:13 (ESV) says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."

8. IT'S DEMONIC

To have envy and strife in your heart is devilish. James 3:14-15 (HCSB) says, "But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic."

Now lift up your head, for next devotion I will share about the DELIGHTFUL way.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

Dear God and Father, please save me from ever entering any of these downward paths. Please anoint me powerfully to keep my children from these paths. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

The downward path is not for me,

On the upward path I choose to be!

GOD"S ULTIMATE PLAN

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
(Romans 8:29).

God's ultimate plan for each one of us is "to be conformed to the image of his Son." This image was destroyed through sin, but God is so intent on us having His family likeness, that He sent His own beloved Son to die for our sins and redeem us back again to Himself. He not only redeemed us with His precious blood but lives in our hearts by His Spirit in order to conform us to His image.

What is the image of Jesus? It is His character which we see revealed through His life and spoken Word. It is the fruit of the Spirit we read about in Galatians 5:22-23. It is everything that is opposite to our fleshly nature. We are impatient, but Jesus is filled with patience and longsuffering. We are proud and yet Jesus Christ, the Son of God from the glory of heaven humbles himself (Philippians 2:5-8). We get grumpy but Jesus Christ who lives in us is filled with joy.

Joy? Hebrews 1:9 tells us that Jesus was anointed with the "oil of joy" more than anyone else! Therefore, if we allow Him to work in our lives and conform us to His image, we will be filled with joy more than everyone around us. It is true that we don't always feel joyful. But, life does not consist of feelings. Feelings come and go, but the Spirit of Christ who dwells within us is PERMAMENT and His life is filled with joy.

As we enjoyed Family Devotions together recently I thanked each of our lovely Above Rubies helpers for coming into the kitchen each morning with a smile on their face and filled with happiness. They help to fill our home with joy as they seek to be more and more like Jesus. And, it proves they have been trained well by their parents.

One of the girls shared how that one morning she came downstairs to the breakfast table in her home with a grouchy face. Her mother sent her straight back to her room and told her to come back with smiling, happy face. Good training!

I hope you don't let your children, and especially your teens (they should certainly be trained by now) come to the breakfast table with a sour and grumpy face. If they do, send them straight back to change their countenance and come back with a smile! Teach your children that the action they put on their face will soon change their attitude within. Of course, you'll have a wonderful smile on your face, to show them the way, won't you? If you are being conformed to Christ's image, then JOY will be one of your attributes.

Did you notice that our Scripture tells us that Jesus is the "firstborn son." But, He is not the only son. He is the firstborn of MANY sons. God wants many more sons who resemble His oldest Son. He wants us to have the family likeness. This is His plan and purpose for us. Hebrews 2:10 tells us that because of Jesus' suffering and death He is "bringing many sons unto glory."

Do the people around you recognize that you have the "family likeness"? What about your children? Are you showing them by your actions and words what Jesus is like?
Are you allowing Him to mold you to His image?

Or, do we want to stay the same? Would we rather keep our stubborn will? Would we rather keep our sour face and grumpy spirit? It certainly takes daily dying to the flesh to allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus, doesn't it?
    
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:
Dear Father God, I am awed by your plan to make me to be like your Son. I am the opposite in my flesh, but I ask you to have your way in my life. Help me to be willing for you to change me, even if the change is painful. Save me from staying in the rut of living my selfish fleshly life. I want you to live your joyful and abundant life through me. Amen"

AFFIRMATION:
Little by little I am changing into His image.