We either yield to our flesh and our feelings or we yield to the life of Christ who dwells within in us. “It is no longer I that liveth, but Christ who liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Repost from my friend, Rosa Brandt.
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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.
...a miserable atmosphere. Fill your home with joy, happiness, and a thankful heart instead. Show thankfulness to your husband. Be thankful for your children. Encourage a thankful and grateful spirit in the home, starting with yourself!
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Satisfying, supplying, succoring, serving, supporting, strengthening, sheltering, sustaining, showering, and saving from harm.
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“A woman’s glory is to reveal the motherly heart of God to watching world.”- D. Miller
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Good question, especially when our public schools are becoming more liberal by the day, promoting transgender, alternative lifestyles, Islam, and socialism. Why would Christian parents send their children to be brainwashed by deception and liberalism?
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There is a vast land of motherhood waiting for you to explore. Don’t hang around the edges. Embrace it all. And the more you pour into your marriage the more it will blossom.
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I wonder if we really understand the power of God’s words that He releases into the universe. He spoke, and the worlds came into being. All it took was for God to open His mouth and speak.And then we read the first words He spoke to the man and woman He created: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion . . ." These are not idle words. They are a divine mandate. They are an eternal law which progresses to a conclusion. The people who obey this law and are fruitful are the people who will take dominion.
Satan knows God’s plans and seeks to thwart them. God wants His people to be fruitful and take dominion for Him in the earth. He wants His image to be revealed in the earth. He wants the revelation of His name, His salvation, truth, love, compassion, and righteousness to fill the earth.
The easiest way for the devil to stop the image of God filling the earth is to subtly brainwash God’s people to stop having children. He has been very successful. Most Christians today think God’s first mandate are idle words. They have been deceived to think they don’t have to take any notice of them at all. They think they have a better way than God.
How can we be true believers In God’s infallible Word if we don’t think His words are important? We have become so deceived that we don’t even realize the state in which we are in. Instead of righteousness filling the land, we see the encroachment of evil. Most people in the church have the same small families as the world.
Most believers are so entrenched in this world system that they continue sending their children to public schools and colleges where they are propagandized in liberal doctrine, alternative lifestyles, transgenderism,, and antagonism to God and His Word.
When will God’s people start standing on God’s side instead of the devil’s side?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Abigale Palmer
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The following is an article from Katie LaPierre. I know you will be encouraged.
CHOOSING JOY
If we are constantly joyless and grumpy, why would our children want to have anything to do with Jesus?
If they don't know Him yet and we claim to know Him but grouch around the house, why would they think knowing Him makes a difference?
I must crucify my flesh hourly and CHOOSE joy.
Choose not to say that ugly thing I want to say.
Choose not to bark at my children.
Why?
Because I want to make Jesus attractive!
In a world full of attractive things to our children's flesh, we have to, with God's help, make Jesus more attractive.
If we show our children that life with Jesus means pouting and whining and discontentment, why would they choose Him over a world that looks like it creates fun and laughter and excitement?
Today when you are tempted to lose it or whine or complain, remind yourself that you represent Jesus to your children.
Remind yourself that you are called to die to self and live for Christ.
There's way too much at stake to constantly feed our flesh. Let's starve the flesh and feed the spirit today!
Let's point our children toward a wonderful, joy-giving Savior!
Abide in Him today and draw from His strength. We need His strength because our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.
KATIE LAPIERRE
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Eternally Minded Mamas
Picture: Katie with her six reversal babies! Isn’t this so wonderful? Six beautiful children who would not be in this world and who would miss out on the glorious eternal world if she and her husband had not opened their hearts to God’s plan.
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We have such a responsibility to lead our children the right way, or we are “blind guides” and both we and our children will fall into the pit (Matthew 15:14).I am sure we’ll all concede that God’s ways are the best ways. That’s why we must constantly seek God’s Word to know if we are living in the truth or not. I believe this is especially necessary for us mothers.
Let me tell you about a very important principle I learned as a young mother. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says: “He (Jesus Christ) died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” These words are the opposite to the attitude that is prevalent today. Most Christian women confess they must have time for themselves, time to get away from their children, time to go out and relax, and so on. These things are nice, but they don’t always work out practically when we have little children.
Therefore, what should we do? Do we get into a state of self-pity because we don’t have all the time that we want for ourselves? Do we have an entitlement attitude of “I deserve to have my time and I deserve this and that?” Or do we embrace the principle that we are not meant to live unto ourselves, but unto Jesus who died for us. Jesus didn’t live His life to Himself but poured out His life for us.
Most people would like to be great and known for something important in their lives. That’s why some mothers are discontented with motherhood. They feel they should be out in their career, making a name for themselves. But what is God’s principle? If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you must become the servant of all (Mark 10:42-45). “A servant,” did you say? Yes, that’s what Jesus was. And because He humbled himself to become a servant, God highly exalted Him (Philippians 2:5-11).
I’m always challenged by Jesus’ words in Mark 8:35: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” This is an eternal principle, and it works.
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
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Are you content in your home? Are you content in your soul? I think it starts in our soul, don’t you? If we don’t have rest and contentment in our soul, how will we have it in our home?But we must ask another question. How can we experience contentment? Is it dependent upon our feelings? No. “A thousand times No,” as my husband says. (It’s one of his favorite sayings regarding things that are wrong!). And when it comes to something that is right, he says, “Yes, a million times Yes!”
I believe everything begins with our will. I notice in Exodus 2:21 that “Moses was CONTENT TO DWELL with the man.” This man was Reuel, the priest of Midian who lived out in the desert. Wow, this was the opposite of the life he had known--one of luxury, servants waiting upon him, and the best this world could offer.
The word “content” in this Scripture is “ya’al” and means “to be willing, to make up one’s mind, to be determined, to resolve.” Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it? His contentment was not because it was a beautiful situation, one of ease and comfort, and just what he had been looking for years!
Instead, Moses had to determine in his heart that he would be content in this situation. He had to make up his mind to do it.
I believe we must apply the same resolve in our lives. It is God’s plan to give us a home to dwell in. It is God’s plan to raise the children He gives us in a home. It is God’s plan for us to make a sanctuary, firstly for God, and then for our husband and children. Therefore, we must come to that place in our minds where we know we are in the will of God. And therefore, because it is His plan, we forget feelings. We forget imagining another life outside the home. We cast aside all self-pity, grumbling, and groaning.
We make up our mind and determine to be content. We resolve to be content. And as we do, we find contentment. Everything in life is how you think in your mind and your attitude to your situation.
May you be blessed with a contented spirit today. There’s nothing like contentment to bring peace and calm to your soul. It’s great for your health. It’s great for the atmosphere of your home. It’s great for the blessing of everyone around you. And it’s great for you!
Be blessed,
Nancy Campbell
Painting by Richard T Pranke
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The devil wants our children. He will take the souls, minds, and hearts of our children if we let him. He wants to take them down his road of destruction. We cannot give him an inch, or he takes a mile. We must be fierce guarders of our homes and our children’s hearts.
Because the devil hates everything that God loves and has planned for His creation, he robs women of their God-given home and mothering by wooing them into their careers. He robs children of being raised in the home which is their inheritance. He robs families of more children that God has eternally destined for them by contraception, sterilization, and abortion. He robs marriages through pornography and adultery. He robs our silver and gold by tempting us to spend it on wasted material pleasures instead of God’s kingdom.
We see an example in the life of King Ahab. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria sent messengers to king Ahab of Israel: “Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.” And what did king Ahab answer? “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.” He even stated: “I denied him not” (1 Kings 20: 2, 3, 7). Can you believe it? Because of the fear of man, or because he didn’t have the courage to stand up against king Ben-Hadad, he surrendered to him. He was prepared to give up everything that was precious to him.
How sad to read such a testimony? And yet we can so easily get caught. God gives us our children to raise for Him and for God’s destiny. And yet we give them to daycares and hand them over to the state education system.
Somehow, even Christian parents don’t mind that their children are now being taught that Islam is a peaceful religion while the Bible is outlawed in our schools.
Many children in state schools have been asked to draw posters of the Five Pillars of Islam and pictures of the Prophet Muhammad, sing Islamic songs, wear Islamic clothes, construct a 3-D model of a mosque, design an Islamic prayer rug, and do calligraphy for “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet.” Yes, this is in American schools.
Some parents don’t seem to mind that the gay agenda now pushes their lifestyle in our state schools through books and curriculums. One of their latest books available to schools is “It’s Perfectly Normal” which contains material so sexually explicit that, according to the American Life League, it has been ruled inappropriate for prisoners by a Washington State court.
How can Christian parents not be desperately concerned about the promotion of transgender to the children in our schools?
Let’s not give in like Ahab. Let’s have the courage to rise up and say No to the enemy! Say No to his robbing of all that God has given us.
Speak your confession out loud: “I will not give anything to the devil. He has no right over me. I am God’s possession. He has no right over my children, and I will not give him any authority over them. They are God’s possession.”
It’s time to say No.
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell
Photo: Real life! An older brother homeschooling while watching over his adored little brother.
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Here is a wonderful idea from Katie LaPierre:
Each of my children that can read (six years and up) have their own dinner notebook. You can get these spiral bound notebooks for a dollar at Walmart. Each child puts their name on the front and every day during homeschooling they write in their dinner notebook their favorite things that they learned that day. At least four sentences.
When I call everyone to the table, I tell them: "Go to the bathroom, wash your hands, and grab your dinner notebook!" Each child comes to the table ready to share.
One of the things I love most about dinner notebooks is how it benefits all who are that are at the table.
• It blesses the one that is reading because as they speak it aloud, they are better able to cement into their minds what they learned and enjoyed that day.
• It helps them to practice their reading and speaking skills.
• It excites them to share with their family something they learned.
• It benefits all the hearers because we get to practice listening skills/showing interest in others.
• AND we get to learn with the reader!
Our dinner notebooks lead to many wonderful conversations.
KATIE LAPIERRE
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Woodland, Washington, USA
Scot and Katie with their nine children: Rhea (15), Ricky (14), John (13), Charis 10 (first—reversal baby), Chloe (
, Noah (6), Ruby (4), Lydia (3), George (1). Did you notice that they are blessed with six reversal babies? And reversal baby number 7 is due in October! What glorious blessings!
, Noah (6), Ruby (4), Lydia (3), George (1). Did you notice that they are blessed with six reversal babies? And reversal baby number 7 is due in October! What glorious blessings!
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Did you know that the home is associated with healing? In Luke 12:42, 43 Jesus tells a parable of the master of the household who appoints a faithful and wise steward to be in charge of his home and to make sure his servants have food while he is away. This same parable is repeated in Matthew 24:45-47. The word household is “therapeia” in the Greek and means “healing, attendance to medical needs, domestic.”In other words, our homes should be homes of healing—healing the spirit, soul, and body. That’s why God ordained the home. It is an oasis from the storms of life, a sanctuary from the chaos and strife in the world, a place of safety to nurture and raise children, and a place of healing.
One of the powerful places in the home is the table where we eat and fellowship. It is the gathering place. The home centers around food and fellowship. If we do not smell the wonderful smells of spices and herbs enhancing the food cooking on the stove and the aroma of homemade bread in the oven, we miss some of the joys of life.
If we do not sit around the table to communicate, discuss, and share our revelations and thoughts as we eat together, we miss the true essence of home. The table is communal. It promotes oneness, not independence.
The picture God paints of a blessed family is of children “all around the table” (Psalm 1238:3). Tables are meant to be filled. God didn’t intend the 1.8-member family of today’s society. He loves the filled table. And not only the immediate family, but often grandparents and extended family. And friends and strangers. Each one comes with expectancy, ready for new dialogue. The place hums with conversation. No one is lonely. The togetherness brings healing and joy.
And when we eat, it is important to eat healthy foods. This word “healing” that is used for “household” is used in only two other places in the Bible. Both talk about healing.
Luke 9:11 where Jesus “healed them that had need of healing (therapeia).”
Revelation 22:1, 2 speaks of “A pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing (therapeia) of the nations.” Healing foods; not refined junk foods.
Are we careful to prepare healing foods for our husbands and children? This is such an important part of being a homemaker.
Make your home a beautiful place of healing for the spirit, the soul, and the body.
Love from Nancy Campbell
Granpa's Chair is a photograph by Mike Savad which can be purchased.
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Can you imagine what the world would be like if God’s people had not limited their families? The land would be filled with righteousness and the image of God. We would have a landslide for righteousness at voting time.Can you imagine what this nation would be like if all God’s people would open their hearts to embrace the children God has planned for them? We would become “more and mightier” than the heathen! Read Exodus 1:8-12.
Can you imagine what would happen if godly mothers got a vision to be home keepers and to raise their children in the home? Can you imagine the blessing, the stability, and the joy that would come to marriages and families?
Can you imagine what would have happened if families had taken a stand for God when the state education system took prayer and the Bible out of schools? What if they had taken their children out of the system? Do you think that would have made the liberals think again?
Can you imagine what would happen in fathers and mothers would come back to daily family devotions and reading God’s word to their families. Instead of only six percent of Christians having a biblical world view it would be very much higher because our children would be filled with the truth instead of being subtly brainwashed by the humanist mindset of our society.
Can you imagine what could happen if every God-fearing, Bible believing family began to gather their families together morning and evening and cry out to God for this nation. We would receive the promise of God’s healing for our land. We know the Scripture so well, but we need to be reminded again: “If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Instead of imagining, let’s just do it. Amen?
Love from Nancy Campbell
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“A mother is a chalice, the vessel without which no human being has ever been born. She is created to be a life-bearer, co-operating with her husband and with God in the making of a child. What a solemn responsibility. What an unspeakable privilege—a vessel divinely prepared for the Master’s use.”
~ Elizabeth Elliot
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Don’t you love the words of this hymn?There is power on the name of Jesus.
There is peace in the name of Jesus.
There is purity in the name of Jesus.
Speak His name often in your home.
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This is where God planned for children to be nurtured and taught, not in daycares away from their mothers. Children need their mothers.
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A young lady asked Colin and me the question, “What’s the answer to a good marriage?”My husband answered, “The Lord.” A good answer but I don’t think there is more.
There was a time when young girls could usually trust that if they married a “Christian” they would have a happy marriage. That is not the case today. It is not enough for a young man to be a Christian. The question is, What kind of a Christian is he?
There are so many Christian young men today who are not prepared for marriage. They may be in their mid-twenties, but they are still not ready to take on responsibility. They are not ready to embrace children into their marriage. They are not ready to provide for a wife to stay home and care for these children. They are not even ready to settle down!
My answer to that young lady was, “It is more than that!” How could I say that? Isn’t God enough? Yes, of course He is, but sadly there are many who love the Lord, but do not understand His truth and His ways regarding marriage and family. They may acknowledge they love God but their lives follow the world instead of the Bible.
Of course, it takes both the man and his wife to make the marriage. Apart from the foundation of understanding the purpose for marriage and being ready to take responsibility, my question to a young couple is, “What kind of marriage do you want?”
“Do you want an average marriage?” Well, just be a normal couple and maybe you’ll scrape through.
“Do you want an above-average marriage?” That will take more work. You won’t be living to yourself. You will not only delight to love your husband but to honor him and show your love tangibly to him in myriads of ways. You will purposefully build into your marriage each new day.
Or “Do you want an amazing marriage?” That means you’ve got to be amazing! Don’t wait for your husband to be amazing. You be the one. Think of how you can make his life amazing. Think of how you can honor him. Think of how you can serve him. Think of how you can intoxicate him.
The more you pour out on him, the more he will respond.
Things don’t just happen. You must make them happen.
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell
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1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil.” The “works” of the devil? Yes, the devil works. It’s the same word that’s used in Titus 2:5 where we are exhorted to be “keepers at home.” Many versions of the Bible translate this Scripture as “workers at home.” It comes from two Greek words: “ergon” which means “to work” and “oikos” which means “home.” This literally means “WORKERS at HOME.”Do you notice the phrase doesn’t say “workers in the career world” but “workers at home’? There are some who do not like that statement but if they don’t, they are saying they don’t like the Bible.
The challenge to us is that if we do not work to guard our home and family, the devil will outdo us with his works. If mothers would rather work outside their home than in their home, they give room for the devil to work in their home behind their backs! This is one of the reasons the devil woos women out of the home. He can then get his hands upon the minds and hearts of our precious children. If mothers are not protecting, guiding, teaching, and nurturing their children in the home, who is? Who are those peoiple? Are they godly? Are they righteous? Are they anointed from God for the task? Are they teaching our children the truth?
We must work to keep our homes a place of love, joy, delight, and holiness—and truth! It takes work to keep deception out of your home. The enemy always looks for a foothold where he can get in.
Keep working in your home, dear mother. Don’t let up. Don’t let the devil work havoc in your marriage and children while you are busy with other things.
One of the greatest ways we destroy the “works of the devil” is through fervent prayer. How much are you praying for your children? Your home? Future generations?
Keep the devil at bay from your marriage and home.
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
Painting: Seymour Joseph Guy
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Do you embrace your womb as a gift from God? Part of who you are as a woman? A sacred place? Or do you see it as something that does not fit in with your lifestyle? An organ that you would rather make obsolete?It’s normal that if we have anything wrong with any organ in our body, we are desperate for healing. Some people go to God for healing. Others run to the doctor. Whatever way, we want our body to function correctly. In fact, when one part of our body is sick or hurt, it affects the rest of our body.
And yet when it comes to the womb, the part of us that distinctively distinguishes us as a woman, we don’t want it to work! What is wrong with that?
It is the deception of the devil who hates the womb and hates life! Genesis 3:15 tells us that there is enmity between the devil and the woman. One translation says: “There will be war.” Satan is at war against the womb because it is the place of life. It is the place where life is conceived, grows, and comes forth into this world. An eternal soul from conception. A life that will live forever. A life that is destined from the foundation of the world. A life that can be filled with God and bring the revelation of God into this world.
Dear mothers, let’s not be deceived by the devil, the hater of life (John 10:10). Let’s embrace the way God created us. All His works are perfect. They are wonderful, marvelous, and amazing (Psalm 139:14).
When we embrace the function of who God created us to be we live in His blessing 1 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we are saved through childbearing and the embracing of our maternal anointing. The full meaning of the word “saved” means you will be “protected, healed, preserved, delivered and made whole.”
Be blessed today,
Nancy Campbell
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