How much prayer happens in your home, father?
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Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
Last week I shared how many of God’s people are imbibing the ways of the world. They don’t realize that these ways are opposite to God’s ways because they are more familiar with the customs of the world than they are with the Bible. Isn’t it interesting that many Christians say they believe the Bible, but they often don’t know what is in the Bible.
One devastating thing about being more in line with the customs of society is that when we begin to live the lifestyle of the world God says: “ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies” (Leviticus 26:37).
Judges 2:1 says: “And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers . . . so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.”
The same thing happened when Achan took the beautiful garments and money from the spoil of the enemy. The Israelites had just rejoiced in their marvelous victory of Jericho. They thought Ai, a much smaller city, would be a piece of cake! But no, they had to flee from the men of Ai.
The reason? One man had been disobedient to God’s command. You know the story but let’s read Joshua 7:12, 13: “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more . . . Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel, thou canst not stand before thine enemies until ye take away the cursed thing from among you,”
If we want to live in victory, if we want to have power over the enemy, if we want peace and joy in our home, we cannot compromise with worldly standards. It won’t work. The enemy of our souls is always lurking around, seeking whom he may devour. He looks for holes in our walls where he can creep in.
Keep up your walls of protection. Don’t let go of your godly standards. Don’t compromise. Don’t even allow a little opening for the devil to squeeze into your life and your home.
James 4:4 says: “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Strong words but straight from the Bible.
Many blessings,
Nancy Campbell
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Your attitude to each little thing you have to do in your home makes all the difference. And also to your children. When they see your joyful attitude to work and to facing challenges they will learn from you.
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Mother’s determine the course of the next generation. Godly home-mothering, home-teaching mothers influence the nation for good.
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I was reading this morning in Psalm 55 where David talks about the battle that is going on around him. What is his answer for facing the battle? He says: “Evening and morning and noon will I cry ALOUD.” How often does he pray? Not just once a day but morning, noon, and night. And how does he pray? He doesn’t say a little prayer in his mind. He cries aloud. There’s something about crying out loud to God, especially when you are facing a battle.Currently we are in a war, a war for freedom against tyranny. Many countries are facing fierce battles such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia. We must stand with them. We must cry aloud for them. Prayer is our greatest weapon of war.
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A mother has the one job in the world where an adequate replacement cannot be found!
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We must hang on with every fiber of our beings to our God-given and Constitution-affirmed freedoms. We must NEVER give up our God-given and inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They are our personal God-given rights. Not the rights of the government.
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RASHES IMPROVEDI have always aspired to keep a clean house but for whatever reason, I discovered that my efforts were not always helping my family. I was a very devout vacuumer and I vacuumed the carpet at least once a week.
My young daughter had mysterious rashes not tied to any food. They would come and go. After having my home tested for mold, it was found that the worst source of mold/dust was my HEPA vacuum cleaner. By using the device, I was kicking up microscopic particles into the air. Since then, I have stopped using a traditional vacuum. In my home I can use a central vacuum or a shop vac on the porch and a long hose to reach inside. Since I made the switch, her rashes have improved a lot.
SHOULD I USE THE MICROWAVE?
Many people are suspicious of microwaved food and have decided not to use a microwave. One time I started to get lax about this and my children were microwaving milk to make into hot chocolate. I noticed that I would have a slight headache around that time.
When I bought a meter to measure radiofrequency and microwave frequencies (I studied mechanical engineering at college), I found that the microwaves were coming OUT of the microwave itself. The metal screen on the front wasn't fully keeping them inside. I guess this is why they tell pregnant women to stand back from the microwave. Babies, since their skulls are thinner, are more vulnerable to these things. Now that I know this, I use other methods for heating food.
REDUCE THE CONFLICT
Many families reading this magazine have multiple children and thus peace in the home is of high importance. My family has decided to HARDWIRE all our computers and devices. All our devices are in airplane mode and we use ethernet cords and adapters to connect to the internet (kind of like living in 2005). Our home phone is a corded landline and our cell phones forward to our landline. We only use cell phones when outside, if at all.
We lived in a high EMF environment in the past. Since moving and keeping WiFi off (but ethernet ON), the sibling conflict is now 1/10th what it used to be. I used a Safe and Sound Pro II meter to measure the wireless signals of all our electronics and make sure each device's WiFi was truly off. The children are less stressed somehow and sleep better. It can really help a family to reduce their EMF exposure. Not all families will be as extreme as mine (we have health reasons) but reducing exposure to cell phone signals and wireless signals can help.
I encourage all mothers to at least try a "Signal Tamer" bag or Router Guard to reduce the strength of the WiFi coming out of their router since many routers are oversized for standard homes.
For further reading, a brief introduction to the subject can be found at this website:
BETH C from Iowa
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Let’s pray passionately for righteousness to reign in the cities of our nation. Off to a prayer meeting to pray now. #prayforthenation #earnestprayer #ferventprayer #prayforrevival #prayforgodsblessing #aboverubies
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After listening to PODCAST 82 (From Our Home to Yours with Nancy Campbell) Jennifer Stone wrote this little testimony:
ALL BECAUSE I SET THE TABLE NICER!
“Dear Mrs. Campbell,
I set the table last night and I was very pleasantly surprised by my nine-year-old son's reaction. He sat up straight, held his napkin in his lap, tried to use his best manors, asked to be excused, and pushed his chair back under the table! Will said he learned about pushing the chair back under the table from watching Bananza, HA. He loves old Westerns.
We eat together as a family daily, but I never set the table. I stack all the plates and spoons in one pile in front of me, then make plates and pass them out after the blessing. A single spill proof water bottle is shared. This all is partly because, up until now, I've had so many babies that would throw everything on to the floor sooner and repeatedly more than I could stop them.
We have gone over table manners before. But last night, I did not declare that this would be a practice time. Everyone, especially Will, just took it upon themselves to be as proper as possible, without me saying a word, JUST BECAUSE THE TABLE LOOKED NICER THAN USUAL.
That's remarkable, because our table is too small for a centerpiece. The most unique thing I added was ready made individual glasses of water and old dried out sticky pads with their names written in cursive with an adjective sitting on their plates:
Wise William,
Jubilant Juniper,
Wonderful Wisteria,
Lovely Lois,
Darling Daddy 😄.
Thank you for a nice dinner, Jennifer Stone.”
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Here is the link for Podcast 82 if you would like to listen:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/…/2428814-episode-no-82-table-ti…
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This coming Wednesday Passover begins, and this weekend is Easter. Both celebrations remember the greatest truth in history that when God sees the pure and precious blood of His Son, He passes over the judgment that we deserve.
The Israelites were saved from death in Egypt because they put the blood of lamb on the top and side posts of their doorframes. And God said: “The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I WILL PASS OVER YOU, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13).
We are also saved from the judgment of our sins when we acknowledge the blood of Jesus upon our lives. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” Jesus Christ is our Passover. What a glorious and wonderful redemption we have.
I love this picture which a dear friend of mine sent to me. She flies her red scarf at her doorway representing the power of the blood of Jesus as she remembers this Passover time. She also flies it to acknowledge the protection and power of God over her home as we face this “c” virus.
We do not have to fear any plague as we abide under the Shadow of the Almighty and plead our protection through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Many blessings,
Nancy Campbell
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So true. Our children will imbibe a lot more of what they see in our lives than what we say with our mouths. #example #iinfluence #powerofmotherhood #mother #motherhood #aintnohoodlikemotherhood #aboverubies
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Did you read the post I wrote on January 9 called DUTY’S PATH? There are certain things in life that we have a duty to perform. But because they are duty, it does not mean they need to be drudgery. Duty is either a delight or a drudgery, depending on our attitude! Our aim should be to make every duty in life a delight!
The Greek word for duty in the New Testament is “opheilo” and means “to owe, to be morally obligated, pay the debt, express human and ethical responsibility, to fall in duty, it’s a must.”
It’s good to remind ourselves of duty in a general way, but the Bible mentions some things specifically, therefore we should take note of them. Let’s take a look:
1. SEXUAL INTERCOURSE FOR MARRIED COUPLES
Is this a duty? When God brought the first couple together, the first thing He told them was to be “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). That’s it! God’s ultimate plan. His first description of marriage. Therefore we owe it to one another.
1 Corinthians 7:3 calls it “due benevolence.” Now that doesn’t sound very romantic, does it? The Syriac version says “due love.” But let’s read it from a modern version: “The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations . . . “ (NLT).
The wonderful thing about this moral obligation in marriage is that although it’s considered a duty, God has created it to be a DELIGHT. God is amazing. Proverbs 5:19 describes it as “ravishing.” The full meaning of the Hebrew word is to be “enraptured, intoxicated, transported with delight, captivated, entranced, stealing away the senses.” How often should this happen? This Scripture tell us “at all times” and “always.”
There may be times in your marriage when you do not experience it as a delight. That’s when you move into “duty” mode. As you are faithful to do your duty, delight will come rolling back to you. It’s a divine law. It’s like the ebb and flow of the tide. Sometimes the tide goes out, but it is a universal law that tide always comes flowing in again.
Old Testament Scriptures Genesis 38:8; Exodus 21;10; and Deuteronomy 25:5, 7.
2. LOVE ONE ANOTHER
1 John 4:11 says: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought (opheilo, meaning duty) to love one another.” That means beginning in the home with our husband and family. That means those we don’t really like or who are not our type. That even means those who have spoken against us and treated us badly.
This word is used again in Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
More points tomorrow.
Have a blessed day,
Nancy Campbell
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Have you started off smiling this year? Smiling at your husband? Smiling at your children? Maybe things are not going according to your plans and you don’t feel like smiling! Smile anyway. Did you know that smiles don’t depend on circumstances? Your circumstances may not change but as you smile your attitude will! It will change the atmosphere of your home. The more you smile at your family, the more they will smile back at you! #smile #smileanyway #praisegodinallthings #smilingfamily #aboverubies #nancycampbell
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I begin today with a statement I wrote yesterday:
GOD’S AMAZING GRACE DOES NOT COVER A LIFESTYLE OF UNREPENTANT SIN.
To permit a son or a daughter to have their homosexual partner living and sleeping together in your home is a false love and a false grace. Even to allow unmarried couples of the opposite sex to sleep together in your home is a false love and a false grace. This is happening in Christian homes across America and I am saddened by it.
Whatever the world accepts as acceptable and normal behavior when it comes to morals is now becoming the norm of the church.
I am not saying that we should not actively, as Christians, love those who are committing sin. God loved us while we were yet sinners so much that he sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die a horrible death for our sins. Romans 5:8 says: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
We must actively show our love toward sinners and yet at the same time let them understand that we actively reject their sin.
Under the guise of love and grace many so-called Christians will not judge abortion as murdering innocent lives and yet at the same time they will actively stand up against those who murder innocent people on our streets, schools, and Walmart’s. What hypocrisy. This is false love and grace and we fail to discern what is right from wrong. Murdering unborn, innocent children is just as evil as murdering people in Walmart.
Under the guise of love and grace we must not allow your children to have uncontrolled use of Internet games and programs that pervert their innocent minds and lives. This is false love for your children and false grace. Christian parents have a God-given mandate to protect their children from watching the wrong things.
God’s grace should never be treated as a band aid to cover sin so that sin doesn’t look so bad.
Many Christians allow this to happen so their children will not be bored with nothing to entertain them. They think that one day they will grow out of it. This is a false love and a false grace.
Hebrews 12:28, 29: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” This is the love and grace that is acceptable to God.
Titus 2;11, 12 explains more of what it means to walk in grace: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.”
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
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Love is not puffed up with the yeast of our own prideful reasonings.
The love of God does not leave sin unjudged. Sin is not something that, under the guise of love, should be tolerated and accepted in the Christian family or the church.
God judged all our sins with the crucifixion of His sinless and only Beloved Son. God forgave us all our sins through the terrible judgment that Jesus Christ vicariously bore in our place on that rugged cross.
Jesus Christ now lives in us by His spirit to give us the victory over all sin. Every type of sin that seeks to dominate our lives must be judged for what it is. Sin is sin whether it was before we became a Christian or after we became a Christian.
If God calls all wrong-doing sin, so should we.
Even though sin was judged at the cross, it is still sin if we continue in it.
Romans 6:1, 2: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any loner therein?”
We must examine ourselves and judge our actions before we partake of the Lord’s Supper lest we eat and drink damnation to ourselves. 1 Corinthians 11:29, 30 says: “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
God’s amazing grace does not cover a lifestyle of unrepentant sin.
Much of the church is under a false grace that permits sin to be unjudged and unrepented of, both in our homes and in the churches.
To be continued.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
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The Devil never stops telling you lies.
You've got to stop listening.
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Discipline is training. And training is a daily process. It’s not just for the moment, but for the future. You are preparing your children for their success, for marriage, to fulfill God’s destiny upon their lives. Therefore, you cannot let the little things go unattended. Deal firmly with negative attitudes and moods and laziness as well as disobedience and willfulness so these things do not become habits in their lives. #godlydiscipline #training #trainyourchildren #ilovemotherhood #powerofmotherhood #aboverubiestag
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Is this an outlandish statement? No, it is the truth. Everything that happens in this world, the workforce, the great inventions, the amazing feats all happen through people. And everyone of these people come to the world no other way than through the womb of a mother! The womb of the mother is a powerful place. It is a place if destinies. I wonder who God has planned to bring into the world through your womb? How sad to forfeit plans that God has for this world. #thepowerofthewomb #amotherswomb #ilovemotherhood #powerofmotherhood #aboverubies
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