Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

God wants us to become sharper as the days go by so that by the time our life on earth ends we will be sharper than ever. I don’t see any reason why the last days of our lives here on earth should not be the sharpest days of all.

We must never see the trials of life as an annoyance, but rather welcome them as a means to sharpen our swords and weapons of war. As God’s men, we should not long for days of ease where all is bliss and there is no stress and challenge. Instead, we should change our entire attitude and welcome anything that could possibly sharpen us up more in order to afflict greater causalities upon Christ’s enemies.

I think this is a reason why some of God’s people do not welcome larger families. They do not want to face trials, difficult challenges, or trust God beyond their financial resources, which are all part of parenting children. Consequently, we ourselves lose character as we refuse the trials of building character in our children.

Refusing to build families because of extra work and involvement causes us to become blunt in character. Our western nations are becoming increasingly dumbed down, dependent upon government provision, and consequently characterless.

Right now, we need a revival of character building. This requires a sharpening up mentality. Sharp swords are deadly weapons in dealing with enemies.

We must understand that our worst enemies are not physical ones. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 says: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

The strongholds of unbelief, all forms of pride, negative attitudes towards accepting responsibility, hard work, raising children, resisting the entitlement mentality, refusing to take a strong stand against lust, homosexuality, abortion, pornography, and all fornications are our worst enemies.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Ecclesiastes 10;10 states: “If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength.” The Living Bible paraphrases it: “A dull axe requires great strength; be wise and sharpen the blade.”

No one in any successful business wants to hire someone who is inefficient, does not know what they are doing, and who does not have a sharp edge about their conduct. How can we offer our great God and King our lives as blunt axes and swords? Can God use blunt swords in this day of battle? I do not think so. Revelation 19:15 says of Christ: “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations.”

Moses had to go to the back side of the desert for 40 years to be sharpened (Exodus 2:15 and Acts 7:30).

Israel had to go through the wilderness for 40 years before they were sharp enough to fight and win the battles of the Lord in the land of Canaan.

Our walk with God on this earth is really a boot camp to sharpen us up for the time when we will conquer and win the entire earth under the leadership of Christ in His millennial reign (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3).

Men, we must not only sharpen ourselves, but teach our children these truths lest they remain blunt.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

How important it is to have a sharp mind to comprehend and quickly respond with a short to the point answer. However, more important than solving secular problems is to have a sharp spiritual mind in order to comprehend spiritual matters and provide quick to the point, powerful answers to the many moral problems we currently face.

I believe we will be delivered from our economic bankruptcy when we first seek answers to our spiritual bankruptcy. Much, if not all, of our economic problems can be traced back to our backslidden relationship with God. Read Deuteronomy 28.

It is amazing how concerned we conservatives are over our fiscal policies knowing that our country is heading for a disastrous fall, yet our moral bankruptcy is not in debate at all. Can lots of money in the bank heal us? Can the greatest economical policies in the world deliver us? We desperately need to be spiritually sharpened up.

Fathers, we ourselves must put a much higher priority on being spiritually sharp and in turn sharpen up our children.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, we must never forget that it is not necessarily brilliant minds that God looks for, nor men of noble birth who have the best tutorage and training this world can offer. On the contrary, God looks for Holy Spirit filled men.

I remember the words of C. T. Studd:
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Why do we spend so much time and effort educating our children to be successful in this world and yet make such little effort by comparison to make sure they are spiritually educated and filled with the Holy Spirit? To be filled with the Holy Spirit is God’s way of success, not only for this world, but also for eternity.

This world needs Holy Spirit filled men and women although they don’t know it. When this world meets with Spirit filled Christians they should feel their impact shaking the very foundation of their lives. Christians who are not Spirit filled are barely scratching the surface of their fellowman.

Acts 4:8, 13 says: “Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them. . . Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.”

Acts 2:1-4: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Our nation, churches, and families need men and women, fathers and mothers, and children who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

For many centuries the church put much value on religious, academia, and theological doctorates. We now suffer a mass exodus from many of the established mainline churches.

People flocked to hear Jesus and the early church, not because of their excellent speech, academic qualifications, or religious traditions. The multitudes came because the preaching was anointed with life and power. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

Every born again Christian receives the spirit of sonship (Romans 8:9). However, there is much more of the Holy Spirit for every born again child of God to experience. It is imperative that every child of God be filled with the Spirit. Any ordinary man, filled with the Spirit, can impact the world.

Zechariah 4:6 states: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the LORD of hosts.” Verse 7 tells us that this is the only way mountains become plains. It is interesting to note that the headstone of the restored temple was to be laid with “Shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it” (Zechariah 4:7). The Holy Spirit inhabits the praises of His people. He loves it when the church raises anthems of God’s amazing grace.

Men, treat your family to more and more Spirit-filled teaching and preaching, coupled with Holy Spirit-filled worship and praise.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

The high praises blow out the cobwebs and assist us to clean house.

Psalm 47:1 says: “O clap your hands, all ye people; SHOUT unto God with the voice of triumph.”

Psalm 47:5 describes our God: “God is gone up with a SHOUT, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.”

Perhaps one of the main reasons the church is so quiet and subdued is because we do not allow ourselves to become excited about the exceeding greatness of our God. The devil robbs us of our vibrant joy. He wants the church to be cool, calm, and collected, but if we don’t watch out, we will become God’s frozen chosen, if that be possible.

What does it mean when it says, “God is gone up with a SHOUT”? Shouting praises lifts up and exalts our God. Not empty shouting, but rather triumphant shouting.

Fathers, we must teach our families to shout for joy.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Praise and worship is a vital part of believing. During the great Welsh revival started by Evan Roberts multitudes were saved and revived during the singing of the hymns in the congregations.

Isaiah 12:1-6 is primarily about praise and worship to God as we draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Psalm 116:10: “I believed, therefore have I spoken.” Repeated again in 2 Corinthians 4:13. Praise and worship is a form of speaking forth what we believe in the form of singing. When joy fills the human heart, it cannot help but sing and worship and will not want to stop.

Praise is an eternal circle. Praise and worship releases faith and faith releases praise the worship. When we praise and worship by faith, sometimes cold-blooded faith, we are filled again with the Holy Spirit. This in turn releases more praise and worship to our God.

Fathers, we must greatly encourage our families to daily worship the Lord. How can we let a day go by without praising Him who is worthy of all praise? Revelation 4:11 says: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Jesus continued to say: “The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:38 HCSB). The second question is: How believing are we? Are we really believing Him for this river of life? It is easy to be contented with the structure and the form without the life.

It is like looking at a beautiful jug, chalice, or water container. We admire the design, but if it is not pouring out the amazing water of life, what good is it? Many Christians and churches fall into this category. We must never lose sight of the water, for without it we die.

After all, it’s not the beauty of the vessel, but the water of life that really counts. Many look for the most beautiful vessel instead of looking for the most beautiful life-giving water. The vessel itself cannot give life without the water.

John 7:37-39 (ESV): “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes I me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 16:11 says: “In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

Luke 5:17 tells us that “the power of the Lord was present to heal.” The truth is that there is not only healing power in God’s presence, but an answer and provision to every need of man.

In our church gatherings we must not substitute God’s presence with décor, brilliant organization, and excellence of speech, etc. We must seek earnestly for God’s presence.

In Exodus 33:14-16 God said to Moses: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And Moses said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight” is not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

It is the presence of God upon our lives and in our churches that proves that God is with us. The difference between the true people of God and others is the anointed presence of God.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Matthew 4:1-11 tells us that after Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights, the devil tempted in three different ways. Jesus defeated each temptation of the devil by quoting out loud God’s Word, saying: “It is written.” Sadly, most Christians have very little knowledge of what is written in the Bible. How can we quote it if we don’t know it?

THERE IS ONLY ONE THING BETTER THAN TO HAVE THE TWO-EDGED SWORD IN YOUR HAND AND THAT IS TO HAVE THE TWO-EDGED SWORD IN YOUR MOUTH. Check out Revelation 1:16; 2:12; 19:15; 19:21. Out of the mouth of Christ goes a two-edged sword.

In 2 Chronicles 20:20-22 we read that King Jehoshaphat told the people to do two important things:

1. “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (verse 20).

2. “He appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever” (verse 21).

What happened when they did these two things? Verse 22 says: “When they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah: and THEY WERE SMITTEN.”

Confessing God’s Words and high praising our God will scatter our enemies.

Start today. Don’t wait.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Men, we must never take our family’s spiritual, mental, and emotional health for granted. Personally, and along with our wife and children, we need to take time daily to focus our attention on the greatness of our God. This is why Family Devotions are so very important. The best antidote to darkness and depression is to make daily times for corporate family singing of hymns and worship songs. When we lift up God on our high praises, we take our focus off our own needs and burdens to the greatness of His provision and promises.

We must do this with all of our hearts, ever seeking to enter more and more in the “high praises.” As we set aside time to do this, we discover our burdens lifting, our souls set free, and joy increasing. Hallelujah!

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Satan's voices of unbelief and depression always seek our attention, but there is nothing like letting loose the high praise of God to silence them.

2. RELEASE FAITH TO BELIEVE GOD FOR MIRACLES IN OUR FAMILIES

When God’s people pour forth the high praises of God from their mouths, miracles happen. Our God is indeed a miracle working God and this dead, sick world needs to see a lot more miracles.

Psalm 24 tells us that when the gates are lifted up the King of Glory comes in!

Psalm 100:4 states: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Psalm 9:1, 2 states: “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”

We must never endorse a form of Christianity that has no miracles. If we hold back the high praises we will be to blame for the lack of miracles.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

A church that is strong with the high praises of God and yet does not have a strong two-edged sword soon becomes sloppy and like a ship without a compass.

Hebrews 4:12 states: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the diving asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Revelation 2:16 says: “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Revelation 19:15 says: “Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

A two-edged sword cuts both ways and inflicts much more damage to the enemy. The high praises of God releases the anointing to accompany the proclamation of the the “two-edged sword” (preaching of the Word). Without the anointing, the Word can sometimes be heavy, flat, light and frothy, or the letter of the law.

Men, we must also incorporate more of the high praises of God into our Family Devotions. This livens up our family prayer times.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

God is worthy of much more than low-key praising. He is worthy of high praises, especially in the day of battle. Usually, in the day of battle, our flesh is less inclined to praise and worship God. We are much more inclined to talk about how hard life is and all the negative things we face. However, the truth is that the hotter the battle, the higher our praises should be. Without doubt, prayers are for the day of battle.

David says in Psalm 55:17-18: “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me.”

All prayer should also be accompanied by the ministry of thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing (don’t worry about anything); but in every thing by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God.,”

Colossians 4:2: “Continue in payer, and watch in the same WITH THANKSGIVING.”

Thanksgiving should never be a postscript. It seems wrong to me that we are so taken up with the woes of the battle when we pray that we have so little time or concern for even the low praise, let alone the high praises.

What are high praises? We’ll talk about this in the next post.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

In the midst of great spiritual warfare the people of God are exhorted to be “joyful in glory.” I believe that means that we should be joyful as we seek to honor and glorify God. In Romans 4:20, 21 we read that in his battle against spiritual unbelief Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

Praise releases faith. The absence of praise and worship is conducive to an atmosphere of fear, doubt, unbelief, and defeat.

Psalm 149:5 says, “Let them sing aloud upon their beds.” A bed is a resting place, but when the battle rages, sleep and rest are hard to find. In fact, one is more inclined to be restless and toss and turn all night long. At times like this we can sing for joy and sing aloud upon our beds.

Paul and Silas did this very thing in the midnight hour with their feet in stocks (not socks!). Acts 16:25 tell us: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” They must have been loud because everyone heard them!

At the battle of Jericho seven trumpets led the procession and on the final day the people of Israel gave a great shout. I am sure it was a shout of praise to God. And we all know what happened. They more than likely shouted JEHOVAH. Joshua means “Jehovah saves” and Jesus is the English equivalent for Joshua.

We must at all times, along with our families, shout out repeatedly the name of Jesus. Do not wait to do it in church. You might have to wait a long time!

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell