Psalm 144:12 TLB, “Here is my description of a truly happy land where Jehovah is God: Sons vigorous and tall as growing plants. Daughters of graceful beauty like the pillars of a palace wall.”

Last week we talked about raising valiant sons, sharpened, polished and ready for God’s army. But what about our daughters? How are we to raise them? Are they to be part of the army too?

When you think of raising your daughters, I am sure your mind goes to Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies.” You want your sons to be valiant but you would love your daughters to be virtuous. But what does this word ‘virtuous’ mean? I think you will be surprised to know that it is the Hebrew word ‘chayil’, exactly the same word that is translated ‘valiant’ for our sons!

Our daughters are also part of God’s army. He wants us to raise them to be strong in character. He wants them to grow up strong in faith, strong in truth, strong in godly convictions, strong in submission, strong and unbending in their commitment to virtue and purity and standing strong against all deceptions of the enemy.

Our daughters also need to be strong physically. It is interesting that the Word of God likens our daughters to pillars. We know that pillars have to be strong, strong enough to hold up and bear the weight of a building. A palace is not a small building; it is usually a very large construction and therefore needs especially strong pillars. You would think that God would have likened our sons to pillars, but no, it is our daughters. He wants them to be trained and prepared to be strong enough to bear the weight of raising a family. This is no easy task. They have to be prepared mentally, emotionally and physically. I believe that the reason that most mothers do not enjoy motherhood today is because they came into motherhood mentally unprepared. They were trained for a career in the workforce rather than motherhood and therefore were not mentally and emotionally conditioned for it.

As a young woman I read that it was important to nutritionally prepare your body three years before conceiving a baby. I thought that was good advice at the time, but now I have changed my opinion. I believe that we should start preparing our daughters for future childbearing and the physical commitment of raising a family from the moment they are born. We start by nursing them at the breast, giving them the life-giving food that God wondrously provides for them. As we introduce new foods we continue to give them life-giving whole foods so their bodies grow strong. No serious or intelligent mother should ever allow her children to drink pop and eat the devitalized junk food that is prevalent today. It paves the way for problems!

One springtime, as I walked around the sheep with my father in New Zealand, he remarked, "The ewes are so healthy this year, we have no problem with lambing.” I pricked up my ears. “Yes,” he continued, “if the ewes are on good grass, we have no still births and do not have to help birthing the lambs.” I thought, this is the exactly the same with us. We are what we eat. If we raise our children on living foods, their bodies will grow strong. If they eat dead refined foods, we can expect that they may have physical problems later one during pregnancy and childbirth.

Many parents like to start a bank account for their children when they are born so they will have a substantial amount to set them up in life when they grow older. We should also start a health bank for our children. Pregnancy and childbirth can draw quite a big chunk from their health savings. If it has been continually been built up over the years with healthy life-giving foods, there will be plenty to draw on. When the health bank is low, pregnancy and childbirth can be more difficult. Our bodies were created by God to bear children. It is a natural process. Physical problems in this area reveal a low or nonexistent health bank.

Pillars not only bear weight, but the pillars of a palace are beautiful. They are a feature. God wants us to not only to raise strong daughters, but beautiful daughters. Beautiful in spirit, soul and body. Daughters who walk and act gracefully. Daughters who embrace their femininity and maternalness. Daughters who care about keeping their bodies fit and healthy. The New American Bible translates it this way, “Daughters like carved columns, shapely as those of the temple.”

The King James Version uses the word “cornerstones” in this Scripture. This is also a wonderful meaning. The cornerstone is the most important and prominent stone of a building. The rest of the building takes its direction from the cornerstone. Without the cornerstone the building would be totally out of alignment. As mothers, and as we train our daughters for future mothering, we are the pivot on which the home is built. We are indispensable to the building of a strong home. We determine the character of the home. We set the standard.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please give me your vision for my daughters. Help me to train them for the purposes that you have destined for them, rather than pressures of our modern society. Give me wisdom as I polish them and prepare them to be beautiful pillars in their homes. Amen.

QUOTE:

Psalm 144:12 MLB, “Our sons then are like plants, raised to full size in their youthful vigor.”

What kind of young men does God want us to raise for Him? He wants our descendants to be mighty in the land. These “mighty” offspring mentioned in Psalm 112:1-2 are champions. The word is ‘gibbor’ meaning ‘valiant, warrior, champion.’ As we read through the books of Kings and Chronicles we see a picture of the kind of warriors they trained in Bible days. God hasn’t lessened his standard for today, so let’s see what they were like.

THEY WERE SKILLFUL!

1 Chronicles 5:18, “The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.”

The word ‘skillful’ in war is ‘lamad’. It means ‘educated, taught and trained.’ We cannot live with our head in the sand, dear mothers. We are in a battle. We are training our children for war. We must train them to fight against the enemy of their souls. We must train them to be warriors for God.

THEY WERE VALIANT!

1 Chronicles 7:2, “The sons of Tola… were valiant men of might in their generations.”

This phrase, “in their generations” is repeated over and over again. They did not raise one or two valiant men.  They raised generations of them. This is what God is looking for – a whole generation of warriors who know how to overcome the enemy and take territory for God.

Now what is this word ‘valiant’ that we read over and over again? It is the Hebrew word ‘chayil’ that means ‘an army, virtue, valor, military strength, great forces, noble, strong.’ Here are just a few examples…

1 Chronicles 7:11, “Mighty men of valor… fit to go out for war and battle.”

1 Chronicles 9:13,  “Very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.”

1 Chronicles 12: 8, “And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.”

1 Chronicles 12:25, “Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war.”

1 Chronicles 12:28, “Zadok, a young man mighty of valor.”

1 Chronicles 26:30, “Men of valor… in the service of the king.”

   1 Chronicles 26:32, “Men of valor… for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the king.”

THEY WERE READY!

1 Chronicles 12:24, “The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war.”  When our children are of the age to go out into the world, we must make sure that they are ready! Ready to stand against the foe. Ready to battle the enemy.

THEY WERE EXPERT!

1 Chronicles 12:33-36, “Expert in war.”

We are not training mediocre warriors. We are training them to be expert. This is a full-time job. We can’t take it lightly. We are responsible to the Lord of hosts for the quality of His arrows.

THEY WERE CHOICE!

1 Chronicles 7:40, “All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father’s house, CHOICE and mighty men of valor… And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was twenty and six thousand men.

This word ‘choice’ is a very special word.  It is the Hebrew word ‘barar’ and it means ‘singled out, chosen, proved, cleansed, purified and polished.’ What a vision! There is nothing greater that you could do in the whole of the universe than raise young men who are singled out by God, cleansed, purified, proved and polished!

We’ll talk about our daughters next week.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, thank you for reminding me that you have enlisted me in your employment to train your task force in this end-time hour. Save me from taking this mission lightly. Fill me with your wisdom, your anointing and your power to accomplish this mighty task. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

AFFIRMATION:

Matthew 16:25, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Recently I read a phrase that captivated my attention. In his book “Caesar and Christ”, Will Durant states that one of the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire was that they sacrificed their civilization for “the comforts of sterility.” 

Yes, there are comforts to sterility. No sleepless nights. No sacrifice. Freedom to pursue your career. Time for pleasure. Make more money. Get a bigger house, better car and higher status symbol.  But what’s the end result of chosen sterility? Sadness. Loneliness. Emptiness. And eventually the decline of a civilization.

Our culture, out of the church and in the church, is rooted in pleasure seeking. We are shallow. We are selfish. We want to do our own thing. But nothing comes of a fruitless vine. It is useless. Good for nothing. It doesn’t provide food or blessing for anyone.

This is not what life is all about. Life is sacrifice. In fact, you can’t have life without death. What did Jesus say in John 12: “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” When we live for ourselves, we lose our life. When we lay down our life in daily sacrifice we find it. This is an eternal law.

What is the opposite to “the comforts of sterility”? It would have to be “the sacrifices of fertility.” Yes, I have to concede that there are sacrifices to fertility. You will have to lay down your own life. You will have sleepless nights. You will have burdens to bear. But oh the joys! Oh the fruitfulness. Oh the rewards. You will reap the fruit of your labor and sacrifice. You will rejoice in godly offspring who will take God’s love and salvation to the nations of the world. You will fill the world with more of God’s light and truth because of the godly ‘arrows’ you are daily sharpening and polishing.  Your life will not end in loneliness but you will be surrounded with children and grandchildren.

You are also part of building and prospering your nation. Every child you bring into the world is not only one life, but also the beginning of another dynasty. Every child you refuse to bring into the world is not only one life that is denied but also a whole dynasty that is lost to the world and the generations to come!

We are unknowingly driving down this road to destruction. The average number of children per family in USA is 1.8. The Moslem people are multiplying at an average of 6.8 per family and are overtaking the world. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today without evangelizing. By multiplying only.

Multiplying is the secret for taking dominion. We see this principle in the very first words that man ever heard from the mouth of God. We read in Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” We cannot take dominion unless we multiply. It’s just the way it is! If we want to take dominion for the kingdom of God on the earth, we must multiply. If we want our nation to continue to, we have to multiply. When we stop multiplying, we lose ground. We diminish. Eventually we disappear from the horizon.

God wants His people who belong to His kingdom to fill the earth with His salvation and glory. Our purpose is not to just hold the fort until Jesus comes, but to be invaders! We are the children of light, invading the darkness with the light of Jesus. We are truth bearers exposing the deceptions of this humanistic age. We are the rivers of the pure water of God’s throne, ministering life and healing to a sick and hurting world. We are dying to ourselves to bring forth much fruit. We are choosing and embracing life instead of death and filling the world with the godly seed. We are not here to retreat, but to subdue and invade.

This is what God’s people did when they were in Egypt. They became a threat to the Egyptians because they grew “more and mightier” than the Egyptians. Are we, the people of God, a threat to the humanists and the enemy’s camp today? We can be if we have the testimony of God’s people in Egypt who “were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” Exodus 1:7-9, (Psalm 80:8-11).

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I am sorry that I have been deceived. I repent of my selfishness. I repent of holding back the godly seed. Please give me an invading mentality. Help me to see your purposes and vision. Please save me from my selfishness. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Proverbs 12:1, “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.”

Brutish. Oh it is an ugly word, isn’t it? I was challenged when I read this Scripture in my daily reading. I certainly didn’t think of myself as brutish. But the Word of God is powerful and the Holy Spirit convicted me that I am guilty.

I don’t like being reproved, do you? I don’t like being told what to do all the time. There are many times when my husband reproves me in order to get me in line.  I don’t always like it. My first reaction is to resist on the inside even if I don’t show it on the outside. But now I realize this is brutish.

Many times my husband asks me to do many things, and I think, “I’m busier than you are.” My flesh does not like being ordered around. But once again, I realize this is brutish. I certainly don’t want to be brutish and so I repent and ask the Lord to give me a soft and responsive heart.

Oh it’s so easy to react in the flesh. The flesh does not like interruptions. The flesh does not like being reproved. The flesh does not like being told what to do. But are we going to walk according the to the flesh, or according to the Spirit of God who lives within us?

Many modern translations of Proverbs 12:1 read, “He who hates reproof is stupid.” “Stupid” is not as strong a word as “brutish” but it still reveals that it is an immature reaction. Children do not like to be reproved. It takes maturity to receive reproof with a soft and open heart. Reproof will bring us into a larger place in our lives. It is what makes us grow into the likeness of Jesus.

The psalmist cries out in Psalm 141:5, “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it.” The psalmist states that receiving proof is like receiving the “oil of gladness” that was poured on the head on festive occasions. He does not resist it because he knows it will bless him and make him greater. The Living Bible says, “If they reprove me, it is medicine!”

The literal Hebrew meaning of this word “baar” means, “to be consumed.”  If we do not allow the Spirit of God to soften our hearts in order to receive rebuke and admonition, we will end up being consumed with our own ways and desires. We will become eaten up with hurt and bitterness. We will be stubborn wives who end up destroying the marriage. We will be frustrated mothers for we will produce children with the same brutish spirit who will not receive reproof and instruction. Our children will receive rebuke and admonition in the same way that we receive it from our husband or from other people.

Proverbs 9:8-9, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”

Proverbs 10:17, “He who refuses reproof goes astray.”

Isaiah 66:2, “But to this man will I look; even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.”

I think that one of the greatest blessings that we can allow the Lord to work in us is a soft and sensitive heart toward Him, toward our husband and toward others. This is also one of the greatest prayers that we can pray for our children, that they also will have soft hearts to hear and obey the Lord.

Let us cast every tendency to brutishness out of our hearts.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please save me from having a brutish spirit. Oh Spirit of God, please move upon my heart and work in me a contrite and humble spirit. Give me a heart that can receive reproof with joy, knowing that this will enable me to grow into a larger place in my walk with You. Thank you, Lord.”

AFFIRMATION:

I will not resist admonition but embrace it with joy.