Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Does God's Word challenge you as it does me? Romans 9:20 (NLT) says, "Who are you, a mere human being to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, 'Why have you made me like this?'"

God's creation of our bodies is perfect, yet it seems that man often thinks he knows better than God. Our great Creator blessed us with a womb to conceive and bring forth children. And yet many women hardly want to acknowledge they have a womb. If they do, they take action to make sure that it cannot function as God intended. Men also stop the function of their fertility to their own detriment.

Many think that by having a tubal ligation or vasectomy they are saving their lives. The opposite is the case. When we try to save our lives we lose them. When we lose our lives for Christ's sake, we find them (Mark 8:35). Our own way leads to destruction; God's way always leads to life and blessing. When will we learn that God's way is perfect and for our blessing and good?

Read these Scriptures that also address this subject: Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:6; and Acts 5:39.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

One step thou seest--then go forward boldly,
One step is far enough for faith to see;
Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee,
For step by step thy Lord is leading thee."

~ F. J. Exley

Proverbs 18:21 (NLT) says, "Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life." I am always challenged by Proverbs 10:19: "In the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin, but he that refraineth his lips is wise." Or as the New Living Translation says, "Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!"

May God temper our lips by the power of His Holy Spirit. When we open our mouth, may we only speak words of life.

Love from NANCY

"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8, 9).

Recently I asked my 14 year old granddaughter what she would do if she unexpectedly saw anything sinister on her iPad. She immediately responded, "Nana, I would VOMIT!" This should be the attitude of our children toward evil.

Mothers are born to teach. We inherently begin teaching our children from the moment they are born. We the best teachers for our children. We teach them everything about life. We teach them God's words and His ways.

Parents are the primary teachers of their children before anyone else, even pastors and Sunday School teachers (Deuteronomy 4:9; 11:18-21: 6:6-8; and Proverbs 6:20-24). However, in the Old Testament the priests were also commanded to teach the people and there was one thing that God specifically wanted them to teach. I believe God wants us to be very concerned about this truth also. Ezekiel 44:23 says, "And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." Read also Ezekiel 22:26 and Jeremiah 15:19.

On the whole, we as the people of God have become impotent and anemic. Instead of invading the nation with God's righteousness and truth, we are being overpowered with humanism, feminism, the gay agenda, and more and more evil. One of the reasons for this is that the buzz word in the world, and now in the church, is tolerance.

We cannot influence the world for righteousness while we have a tolerant attitude. We are commanded to expose and reprove all evil. We are to hate evil and love righteousness. This must be our attitude which we pass on to our children. We must TEACH them the DIFFERENCE between evil and righteousness. Between the holy and the profane. There's no middle of the road. No tolerating of what God says is evil and an abomination. We either stand with God or we stand with the devil.

Let's raise God-loving, evil-hating children who love people, but who will not tolerate for a moment what God hates.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Proverbs 19:8 says, "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul." I love my soul when I nourish it with wisdom from God's Word. I love the souls of my children when I nourish them with God's Word.

Let's pray, "Oh Father, I don't want my soul to be shallow. I want it to be satiated and filled with wisdom from your Word and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. I want to be a filler of my children's souls, too. Please save me from neglecting my own soul and the souls of my children. I can love their personalities and their chubby little bodies and yet abandon their souls and their spirits. Please prick me in my heart when I am prone to do this. I don't want them to only have healthy bodies, and yet starved spirits. I want them to grow strong and mighty in the Lord. Amen."

Luke 1:80 and 2:40 speaks about the childhood of Jesus: "And the child grew, and WAXED STRONG IN SPIRIT, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." May this be the testimony of our children, too.

Blessings from Nancy

Family (marriage between one man and one woman and the blessing of children) is God's divine plan for mankind. And God does not have an alternative! Any other alternative only ends in destruction. Family is the first institution God established--before church and before government.

Let's do everything in our power to strengthen our families. Eradicate everything in your schedule that weakens and fragments your family life. Build upon everything that strengthens your family. Don't give up the authority and power God has given to you as parents. This is what Satan, the destroyer of families, wants you to do. Don't give him an inch. If you give him one tiny inch, he'll take a mile. Close up all the holes and breeches in the wall as you hedge your family about with prayer. Stand guard against every inroad of the enemy to destroy your marriage and family life.

As we strengthen our families, we strengthen the nation, and we fulfill God's perfect plan for our lives and for the blessing of the nation.

Do something powerful and positive to strengthen your marriage and family today. (Please lovely ladies, don't only read this, but take time to think of something you can do--and do some purposeful thing each new day to build up your family life)!

Love from Nancy Campbell

God continually works in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. However, there are some things that He wants us to work on ourselves:

1) KEEP YOURSELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD (James 1:27 and 1 John 5:18).

2) BUILD UP YOURSELF IN YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH (Jude 1:20). We must daily build up ourselves and teach our children how to build up themselves. How do you do this? By fuelling ourselves with God's Word and "praying in the Holy Ghost." The Amplified Version translates it: "Build yourselves up (founded) on your most holy faith (make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher.)" Are you, and your family, growing more in the Lord each day?

3) KEEP YOURSELF IN THE LOVE OF GOD (Jude 1:21). God relentlessly wants to pour out His love upon us, but if we walk out from His covering (choosing our own way instead of His way) we move away from the Fountain where we can receive His blessing. The commentator, Alexander MacLaren talks about "conscious sunning ourselves in the love of God." Consciously do this as you mother in your home. Consciously keep in His love even when you go through sorrows and difficulties.

You will also keep in His love as you constantly look "for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:21) instead of looking at your circumstances and to your own resources.

4) WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING (Philippians 2:12). We cannot take the grace of God in vain. We must continuously walk in the fear of the Lord.

Love from Nancy Campbell

What a wonderful service we had this morning We spent the majority of time in prayer, crying out to God for the needs of the nations of the world. There is so much persecution of Christians in so many countries of the world at this current time and we dare not forget about them.

How can we live life as usual? How can we have church as usual?

Surely we can change our program in our daily lives, and even in our church services, to pray for the thousands of suffering Christians. Families are running for their lives from terrorists and heads are being severed and given to children to carry them down the street?

North Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, and Syria are only the top of the list. To find out the 50 most persecuting Christian countries in order to pray for them each day, go to: http://www.worldwatchlist.us/

If you look back to August 21, you can read the post, OUR PRAYER BOX. In our home we have a box with special needs for prayer for the world written on cards. It's a great way to make sure we pray about important matters and a great way for children to learn to pray.

Currently we have a gentleman living with us who is an intercessor and loves to pray. Today, being Friday, he suggested that each one of us should take two cards out of the box to pray about, which we all did. He is suggesting that we do this every Friday, which we plan to do. Friday is the sixth day of the week of course, where in the wilderness God gave the Children of Israel a double portion of manna on the sixth day. So we are having a double portion of prayer.

We can never have too much prayer, can we? Especially with everything that is going on in the world right now!

Love from Nancy

How can we live a holy life "without which no man will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14)) while we live in this sinful world? How do we keep our children pure in this world which "lies in the power of the evil one"?

The first statement of 1 John 5:19 gives us the answer: "And we know that we are of God."

It is our CONFESSION! The whole world may lie in the power of Satan, but I know who I am! This is my keeping power in the midst of a godless society.

"I belong to God."
"I am redeemed by His precious blood."
"I am God's possession, not Satan's."
"Because 'I am of God' I will not be lured by the temptations of this world."
"I belong to a kingdom that is not of this world."

This is not only a confession. It is not just a cliché! It is a KNOWING. I KNOW in the depths of my being, and nothing will move me from my confession (Hebrews 10:23). Pray your children into this knowing. Teach them how to live by their confession in this evil world.

Alexander MacLaren says, "Christian people, cultivate the sense of belonging to a higher order than that in which you dwell."

May God bless you and your family today.

Nancy Campbell

Here is another little idea to add to my post below called "Swift to Bless." When Serene was a baby I used to sing a little song to her. I just made up a little tune to sing my love and blessing into her life. I sang this little song to her when she was a baby and right throughout her life, sometimes even when she was in her teens.

I love Serene
Yes I do
I love Serene
Yes I do
Serene is a lovely girl
Serene is a sweet girl
Serene is an obedient girl
Yes she is!

And each time I sang it I would change the lines to speak into her all the character qualities that I wanted to see evident in her life, e.g. Serene is a happy girl . . . Serene is a truthful girl . . . and so on. I wished I had written an individual song for each of the children.

You may like to make a little song for each of your children, or for all the children together. This is another way to be "swift to bless." Sing it to them over and over again. They will never get tired of it. And you don't have to be a great singer. I can't even imagine how Pearl and Serene grew up to be singers when all their lives they had a mother singing to them out of tune!

Love from Nancy Campbell

P.S. The picture is of Serene as a toddler, 37 years ago!

The other morning at Family Devotions we sang the hymn by Henry F. Lyte, "Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven." I love the line which speaks of the character of God, "Slow to chide, and swift to bless." God is a God of judgment and justice, but He is also a merciful God. There is a day coming when He will roar from Zion, judge all evil, and bring all the nations into subjection. And yet He waits with patience and "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

As we seek to walk in the likeness of God, we should have the same characteristics, even in disciplining our children. I believe with all my heart that we have a responsibility to train our children to obey. We must discipline immediately for disobedience, rebellion, and defiance. But we don't do this out of frustration and anger, but out of love, knowing that we are preparing our children to have listening ears and be obedient to God.

However, I gradually learned in the raising of our children that if we are "swift to bless" and this becomes the habit of our mothering that we will often have to chide less. Sometimes children act out rebelliously because they are seeking attention and they do it in a negative way. But if we constantly bless and encourage them throughout the day, their "tank" is filled up and they will not be screaming for attention.

Try being "swift to bless" today. Don't wait until your children are being naughty to give them attention. Look at them and smile at them. Tell them you are so glad that God gave them to you. Tell them you believe they are going to be a blessing to the world as they follow in the ways of the world. Speak positive and good things into their lives.
Squeeze their shoulder. Hug them whenever you are near them.

Yes, you will still have to deal with disobedience and so on at times, but it will be much less.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Did you smile at your husband this morning? Are you smiling at your children today? The more you smile at them, the more you'll have smiling children!

Love from NANCY

What a grief it is to parents to have a child grow up and depart from the Lord. There are a number of factors that can cause this to happen, but God gives us His answer in Jeremiah 32:40: "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they SHALL NOT DEPART FROM ME."

The fear of the Lord will keep us, and our children, from departing from the Lord. We read this again in Proverbs 3:7; 14:16; and 16:6.

How do we keep in the fear of the Lord? How do we keep our children walking in the fear of the Lord? This is a good subject to bring to your family discussion at the table this evening. Ask each child to share how they can walk in the fear of the Lord. Then you and your husband can share your convictions and Scriptures of God's Word.

A great way to learn is to discuss together.

Blessings form Nancy Campbell

"God didn't make the course and destiny of nations and of individuals dependent on the decisions of Congresses and Parliaments, nor did He lay this power in the hands of rulers and kings; but rather God placed it in the praying family! This is why the devil cannot ruin nations or men until he has destroyed the homes of prayer. That's why Satan hates the Family Altar."

~ Norman V. Williams

PRAYING THROUGH THE 100 GATEWAY CITIES OF THE 10/40 WINDOW

We love this book and use it in our Family Devotions. It not only lists the most needy cities of the world, but gives you a picture of where they are in the world and tells you a little about them. We started off praying for one of these cities each new day, but felt we weren't giving enough prayer to them. Now we read about a city and then pray for it each day for the next week or so before going on to the next one. I know you find that an added blessing in your family prayer times.

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/Pray10-40Window

40 DAYS 40 BITES (A Family Guide to Pray for the World by Trudi Parkes)

This is also a wonderful book for young families in helping them to understand and pray for the needy and poverty stricken countries of the world. Brightly illustrated and easy for children to understand. You can order from amazon.com or go to:

http://www.christianbook.com/days-bites-family-guide-pray-world/trudi-parkes/9781781914014/pd/914014

PRAY! EKBALLO! by Lou Engle

http://www.thecall.com/Store/Products/1000058266/_store_products/Books/Pray_Ekballo.aspx

The more information we can get to help us as families pray for the world the better we will be equipped.

Love, Nancy

In my post yesterday I shared the vision of having a PRAYER BOX, or PRAYER BOXES to help you and your family pray more effectively. Each individual family will have special people and countries the Lord is laying upon your heart, but here are some of the needs that are currently written on our cards. I cut pieces of white card and write the prayer request on them. These may help to give you some ideas.

PRAY THAT THE GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED TO ALL NATIONS AND THAT GOD WILL RAISE UP LABORERS TO THESE UNREACHED NATIONS (Matthew 24:14).
To check a map of the unreached countries of the world go to:
http://www.worldmap.org/updates/?p=44

PRAY FOR THE COMING MID-TERM ELECTIONS THAT MEN WILL BE ELECTED WHO ARE RIGHTEOUS AND WILL NOT COMPROMISE THE TRUTH.

PRAY FOR A GREAT MOVE OF GOD AMONG THE MUSLIM PEOPLE OF THE WORLD AND THAT THOUSANDS WILL COME TO SALVATION.

PRAY THAT ISRAEL WILL BECOME A "LIGHT TO THE NATIONS" (Isaiah 49:6).

PRAY FOR THE THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED YAZIDI CHRISTIAN FAMILIES IN NORTHERN IRAQ.
Check out what's happening: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/opinion/ronald-lauder-who-will-stand-up-for-the-christians.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%222%22%3A%22RI%3A13%22}&_r=0

PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM. (Psalm 122:6).

PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH AROUND THE WORLD (Hebrews 13:2).
Got to this link to check out the top 50 countries who are persecuting Christians. You may like to write a card for one country a week to put in your PRAYER BOX so you can gradually pray for them all.
http://www.worldwatchlist.us/world-watch-list-countries/

PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN NORTH KOREA--THE MOST BRUTAL REGIME IN THE WORLD AGAINST CHRISTIANS--up to 60,000 in prison for their faith (Hebrews 13:2).

PRAY THAT GOD WILL THRUST FORTH LABORERS INTO HIS HARVEST FIELD (Matthew 9:37, 38).

PRAY FOR THE MUSLIM PEOPLE IN USA, THAT THEY WILL COME TO SALVATION AND THAT MANY LABORERS WILL BE RAISED UP TO WITNESS TO THEM.

PRAY THAT THE TERRORIST GROUPS WHICH ARE RISING UP MORE AND MORE WILL BE PUT DOWN. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE THERE ARE NOW 59 DESIGNATED TERRORIST GROUPS IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING the most well-known--ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Boko Haram, and Muslim Brotherhood.

PRAY THAT THE BOKO HARAM WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN AND THEIR KILLING AND KIDNAPPING OF CHRISTIANS WILL BE STOPPED.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/15/boko-haram-kidnaps-100-people-chad-forces-frees-most-them-security-official/

PRAY THAT THE TERRORIST GROUP, ISIS WILL BE DEFEATED. PRAY AGAINST THEIR EVIL BRUTALITY-BEHEADINGS, RAPINGS, BURYING ALIVE, AND OTHER UNBELIEVABLE CRUELTIES (You won't be able to share these with young children).

PRAY AGAINST THE SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE WORLD AND THAT YOUNG GIRLS AND TEENS WILL BE DELIVERED FROM THIS TERRIBLE LIFE.

PRAY THAT JERUSALEM WILL BECOME A "PRAISE IN THE EARTH" (Isaiah 62:6-8).

PRAY AGAINST THE DECEPTION OF THE PALESTINIAN PROPAGANDA. PRAY THAT THE MEDIA WILL WAKE UP TO THE TRUTH.

PRAY THAT ABORTION CLINICS WILL BE CLOSED DOWN. PRAY THAT MOTHERS WILL BE SAVED FROM HAVING AN ABORTION.

PRAY FOR THE TURNING OF THE HEARTS OF FATHERS AND MOTHERS TO CHILDREN. PRAY FOR GOD'S ANOINTING UPON ABOVE RUBIES AND THAT GOD WILL OPEN UP GREATER DOORS FOR THE MESSAGE TO GO OUT.

PRAY FOR MISSION ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE SEEKING TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE MUSLIM PEOPLE
http://www.gospelformuslims.com/church_partners.php
http://www.christianaid.org/Projects/2012/201204-444SHM.aspx
http://www.gfamissions.org/ministries/equipping-christians-to-evangelize-muslims.html
http://reachingunreachedpeople.com/about.php

PRAY FOR THE BRICK YARD PEOPLE OF VARANASI AND INDIA WHO ARE SLAVES TO THEIR EMPLOYERS. PRAY FOR THE GOSPEL TO COME TO THEM AND FOR THEM TO BE DELIVERED.
To find out more about them go to: http://www.tellasia.org/blog/brick-yard-children-find-hope.html

Plus we pray for missionaries, organizations, and other needs that are personally known to us. You will have specific needs that you will want to pray for also.

I pray that your daily prayer times will become more meaningful as you give specific needs to your family to pray for. Children need to be steered in how to pray for the needs of the world. Give them a vision for prayer while they are young.

When you have visitors, include them in your PRAYER BOX time also. It will give them a vision to do it in their home too.

Love from Nancy Campbell

When all our children were at home we used to have two prayer boxes at our Family Devotions. One was the FAMILY PRAYER BOX where I wrote on a card the name of everyone in the family, plus every person in the extended family--grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We would pass the box around and each one would take a name from the box. If they weren't very familiar with the name of the extended family member they chose, it was a great time to remind them and tell them about them. Prayer is a wonderful way to keep connected with the extended family, even when they live in different countries as was the case in our family. I am sure you will find this a great blessing in your family too.

We also had another boxed called the URGENT NEEDS PRAYER BOX. In this box I wrote on cards the names of missionaries we were praying for, the names of people we knew who were facing specific trials or sickness, and needs of our country and the world. They would each take a card from this box also. This way, the children learned to pray beyond their little "God bless Mommy and Daddy" prayers.

Now that our children are raising their own families and we have other people living in our home, we use the URGENT NEEDS PRAYER BOX. Currently in this box we have written on cards the greatest needs for prayer in our nation, and in the world. And oh, what great needs there are.

Never has there been a time when there are so many Christians being persecuted and it is continually on the rise. We pray for these precious people in the countries where they are being persecuted. This is not something we should do if we feel like it. We are commanded to do it, and to pray for them as though we were suffering with them (Hebrews 13:2).

We pray for Israel, for we are commanded to pray for this nation also. We pray for the unreached peoples of the world. We pray for the Islamic countries of the world. And on and on. There is so much to pray for.

Dear mothers, can I plead with you to make time to pray as a family together each day, morning and evening if you can. The devil will do everything in his power to stop you from doing this. He doesn't want you praying, but God does. And this desperate world needs your prayers.

You may be doing lots of good things in your family, but this is the most powerful and world-changing thing you can do.

Love from Nancy Campbell