IT'S YOUR LIFESTYLE

"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises"
(Hebrews 6:12).

There are many wonderful resources and curriculums for you to use in teaching your children, aren’t there. However, apart from God's living Word, what do you think is your most powerful teaching tool? Can I tell you what I believe it is?

It's your lifestyle!

I am always challenged at the way Paul tells the new believers to observe and follow him. He was God's living example for them to emulate.

1 Corinthians 4:15, 16: "For thou ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." Because Paul brought them to birth, he was responsible to show them the way. Because we bring our children to birth, we also have the same responsibility to show them how to live.

1 Corinthians 11:1: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

Philippians 3:17 (JBP): "Let my example be the standard by which you can tell who are the genuine Christians among those about you." Do your children see that your walk with God is real? They see through hypocrisy easily. Your life should be such an example that it will expose the fake and sham in other lives. Your life will show them the true way.

Philippians 4:9: "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God peace shall be with you." Can we say these words to our children? "Children, watch me closely. What you see me do; this is what God wants you to do. The words you hear me speak each day; these are the kind of words God wants you to speak."

Your children learn more from watching you and your husband than from all the curriculums you will ever purchase. You teach them how to have a successful marriage (or an unhappy one) by the way you and your husband relate and show love to each other. My parents gave me an amazing example of a godly marriage. This set my husband and me on a wonderful marriage for over 50 years so far. Colin and I have never been to a marriage seminar. We learned it by example which is the most powerful way.

When we commit to establishing Family Devotions in our family, our children become aware that we honor God's Word. It’s not enough for us to go to church on Sunday or Saturday, but our children need to know and observe that we can’t get through one day without the sustenance of God's precious Word. When we make it a commitment to read the Word and pray together morning and evening, they know that we truly are Bible believers and praying parents.

If your children do not see you honoring the Word of God each day, will they think it is something worth studying and reading? If we do not gather with them to pray together every day, will they get a vision for prayer?

The children see by our lifestyle what is important to us. What do they see? A materialistic attitude, rushing here and there without purpose, trying to keep up with the Joneses, and following the crowd? Or do they truly see that God is the priority in our lives?

Your children gain convictions about the sanctity of life by observing your attitude about children. If your attitude is against having more children, they subconsciously imbibe that children are a commodity to have according to your plans, rather than gifts to be embraced by God because of His eternal plan.

What about eating together at the table? Even in homeschooling families, this biblical tradition (Psalm 128:3) is often lost today as they get caught up in all their extra-curricular activities. I know that all these activities are very good. Satan, the deceiver, never entices us with things that are evil, but with things that are “good, pleasant, and wise” (Genesis 3:6).

If we don’t sit together for meals, what do we teach our children? What example do we give them for when they establish their family life? Will they grow up eating in front of the TV or the run? Will the next generation lose this biblical pattern?

Your children learn the true roles of male and female by watching your lifestyle. I didn’t need to go to a seminar on this subject either. I saw it clearly in the lives of my parents. My mother loved being a mother and homemaker and was a godly, submissive wife (although full of spark and forever getting the giggles and seeing the funny side of things)! My father was a real man (not a trace of wimpiness in him). He was known as a man’s man in a man’s world. But did he want my mother to compete with him? No. He reveled in her femaleness and the beautiful feminine clothes she sewed. She always dressed like a queen and he was so proud of femininity.

It’s amazing what theological truths we teach our children in our daily lives. When your husband sits at the head of table each evening, the children subconsciously become aware that he is the head of the home. And when he leads them in Family Devotions, the children understand that he is the priest and leader of the home.

You prepare your children for life by your daily attitudes and how you cope in times of stress. They observe whether you trust God, even when you can't see the answer to your problem, or whether you cave in because you trust in your own resources.

1 Thessalonians 1:6: "Ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost." As the new believers watched Paul and followed his lifestyle, they learned how to follow the Lord. This is the way your children will learn to follow the Lord. They will imitate your lifestyle, for good or for bad, for blessing or destruction.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"Dear heavenly Father, You have given me children from the womb and from birth to raise for you. Please help me to be a true example of how you want them to walk. Help me to follow you closely so as they copy my life they will walk in Your will and truth. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am my children's example. 

THE BLESSING OF YOUR WOMB

 "He will LOVE thee, and BLESS thee, and MULTIPLY thee: he will also BLESS the fruit of thy womb"
(Deuteronomy 7:13).

Genesis 49:25 talks about the "blessings of the breasts, and of the womb." Blessings? Yes, God says they are His blessings to us as women. But they are ultimately His blessings to the whole world for without them mankind would come to a screeching halt!

THE WOMB IS A NESTING PLACE

One of the meanings of womb is "a place where something originates and develops." The womb is the commencement of life, the beginning and continuing of generations, the origin of dynasties to come, and also the filling of eternity. Every precious life that is conceived in the womb is an eternal soul who will live forever. The power of the womb is eternal.

Woman is a compound of two words, womb and man. Every woman is a "womb man." Her womb differentiates her from man. Why then do many women deny their womb? Close off their womb? Makes sure it cannot function? It is the deception of Satan who hates life.

THE WOMB IS OUR SEAT OF COMPASSION

Not only is the womb a nesting place of life, it is also the source of our emotions and our compassion. It is amazing that the word womb in the Bible is interchangeable between the physical womb of a woman and God's compassion, tender love, and mercy. When we embrace our womb, we not only have the privilege of conceiving an eternal soul, but the honor of revealing God's compassion and love to the world.

THE WOMB IS A FORMING PLACE

It is amazing to think that God formed His only Son in the womb of a woman, the same way that every child comes into the world. What high honor God places upon the womb. He could have brought His Son into the world in any manner of ways, but He chose the womb. He formed His people Israel from the womb and thus every child that comes into the world (Psalm 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:2, 24 and 49:5; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:30, 31; and 2:21).

THE WOMB IS A CALLING PLACE

It is from the womb that God called His son to be His servant (Isaiah 49:1) and it is from the womb that God calls each child He creates in His image. Every new creation is not conceived and formed for nothingness, but for a purpose and destiny. They are called from the womb to serve--to serve God in the particular way His has planned from the beginning of time. If Jesus Christ Himself was called to serve, rather than being served, how much more should we embrace a life of serving? And also teach our children that they are born to serve.

THE WOMB IS A PLACE OF DESTINY

Isaiah 49:1 is a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, the Messiah, although it can also refer to Israel as well: "Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name." What a beautiful thing that a Messianic prophecy uses the words WOMB, BOWELS and MOTHER. God is not ashamed to declare that He called His beloved Son from the WOMB of a MOTHER (Luke 1:31; .

Just as Christ Himself was called and spoken by name from the womb of his mother, so God continues to call sons and daughters from the womb. From the womb they are created and called to a life of fellowship with God and service to Him. The womb is where life and destiny begin.

God has a plan and destiny for each one of your children, including the one you may now be carrying in your womb. What a privilege to bear God-ordained destiny in your physical body. Isn't it sad when some mothers deny a life to come to being for whom God has pre-ordained plans and purposes (Ephesians 2:10)?

Let's read what God says about his servant, the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet to the nations." Here we read four things about Jeremiah while he was in the womb.

1) God formed him.

2) God knew him (in fact, even before He formed him). How can someone abort a life whom God KNOWS and is forming and fashioning in the womb?

3) God sanctified him. The word sanctified is qadash and means "to be set apart as a holy vessel, purified, dedicated, consecrated." God sets us apart in the womb for the purpose of living a holy life. He creates us for holiness and to be created more and more into His image, not for uncleanness and sin.

4) God appointed his destiny as a prophet to the nations. God appoints the destiny of each child in the womb (although sadly, many may not walk in that destiny). Psalm 139:16 (HCSB) says: "Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and PLANNED before a single one of them began."

The womb is such an amazing and powerful place-- God-filling, God-working, God-fashioning, God-calling, and God-ordaining.

Embrace your womb. Give thanks to God for your womb. Protect your womb. It is very much who you are as a woman. Ask your husband to pray for God's protection over your womb each day.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Thank you, dear Father God, for Your perfect design in creating me as a woman. You chose to bless me with a womb, an anointed sanctuary of compassion and destiny where you create life for this world and eternity. Thank you for the privilege of being a woman and to cooperate with You in bringing forth eternity into the world. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am blessed beyond measure. I have no higher privilege than embracing a life from God in my womb. 

HOW DO WE LIVE?

Part 2

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"
(James 4:7).

In our last devotion we read the ways God wants us to positively live for Him in the midst of this depraved world. Today, we read the Scriptures where He tells us explicitly what our reaction should be to the evil around us. Once again, we are not left in the dark about what God wants us to do. He does not want us to tolerate evil but to turn from it. He does not want us to make friends with it but to fight it.

Jesus Christ came into this world to "destroy the works of the devil." Jesus now lives in us by the power of His Holy Spirit and He still has the same mandate to destroy the devil's works. We do not give one inch to the devil. Instead, in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of prayer, we destroy his works. Make time to look up the Scriptures as you check out the following 21 points.

1. Abhor evil (Romans 12:9).

2. Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

4. Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).

5. Cast down imaginations and every lofty opinion raised against God (2 Corinthians 10:5).

6. Cast off the works of darkness (Romans 13:12).

7. Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2;12).

8. Depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19).

9. Do not allow sin to be named amongst us (Ephesians 5:3-5).

10. Do not be conformed to this world system (Romans 12:2).

11. Do not be friends with the world (John 15:19 and James 4:4).

12. Do not get entangled with the affairs of this world (2 Timothy 2:4).

13. Do not have fellowship with the works of darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-16 and Ephesians 5:11).

14. Do not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15, 16).

15. Do not partake of sin (Ephesians 5:7).

16. Flee from sexual immorality (Acts 15:10, 29; 1 Corinthians 6:18; and 1 Thessalonians 4:3).

17. Lay aside every weight and sin (Hebrews 12:1).

18. Mortify the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5).

19. Put off the flesh, the old man (Ephesians 4:22-24, 31 and Colossians 3:8).

20. Resist the devil (Ephesians 4:27; 6:13 and James 4:7).

21. Separate from all that is unclean (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).

22. Stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14).

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"I thank you, dear Lord Jesus, that You died on the cross to deliver me from the power of this evil world. I know I cannot oppose evil in my own strength, but only in the power of Your name and the power of Your Spirit who dwells within me. Give me strength to not yield to my flesh, but to the power of Your Spirit. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

In the power of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I denounce all sin and deception that would lure its way into my heart and my home. 

HOW DO WE LIVE?

"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"
(Titus 2:11,12).

How does God want us to live in this lascivious society with deception and evil all around us? What should our lives look like to the people around us? What kind of a testimony should we have in our speech, conduct, and dress? As I thought about the answers to these questions recently, I was amazed how abundantly God shows us the way. He does not leave us in the dark. I found 50 ways and I know I have not exhausted them all.

In the following Scriptures God shows us clearly how He wants us to live. He wants us to live . . .

1. Abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

2. Abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

3. Blamelessly (Philippians 2:15).

4. Circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15).

5. Cleaving to that which is good (Romans 12:9).

6. Conforming to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29).

7. Contending for the faith (Jude 1:3).

8. Doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

9. Fervently serving the Lord (Romans 12:11).

10. Fighting the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12).

11. Filled with the knowledge of God's will (Colossians 1:9).

12. Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

13. Forgetting those things which are behind (Philippians 3:13).

14. Glorifying God ( 1 Corinthians 6:20).

15. Glorying in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14).

16. Godly ( Titus 2:12).

17. Holding faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:19).

18. Holding fast our confession (Hebrews 10:23).

19. Holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:16).

20. Holily (1 Thessalonians 2:10 and Titus 3:5).

21. Honestly (1 Thessalonians 4:12).

22. Humbly (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

23. Increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

24. Justly (1 Thessalonians 2:10).

25. Keeping His commandments (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:14 and 1 John 5:3).

26. Keeping myself in the love of God (Jude 1:21).

27. Laying down my life for the brethren (1 John 3:16).

28. Meekly (1 Peter 3:4).

29. Patiently (Romans 12:12).

30. Purely (1 Timothy 5:22 and Titus 2:14).

31. Reaching forth and pressing on for the prize of the high calling of God (Philippians 2:13, 14).

32. Righteously (Ephesians 4:24; 1 Timothy 6:11 and Titus 2;12).

33. Pleasing the Lord in all things (Colossians 1:10).

34. Putting on the new man (Colossians 3:10, 12).

35. Praying continually (Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Jude 1:20).

36. Presenting my body a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

37. Redeeming the time (Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5).

38. Renewing my mind (Romans 2. 2).

39. Rejoicing in the Lord always (Romans 12:12 and Philippians 4:4).

40. Richly filled with God's Word (Colossians 3:16).

41. Setting my affection on things above (Colossians 3:1, 2).

42. Shining like lights in this dark world (Matthew 5:16 and Philippians 2:15).

43. Soberly (Titus 2:12).

44. Speaking with grace and truth (John 1: and Colossians 4:6).

45. Unblameably (Colossians 2:22 and 1 Thessalonians 3:13).

46. Unreproveably (Philippians 2:15; Colossians 1:22 and 1 Timothy 6:14).

47. Walking in wisdom, light, and love (Ephesians 5:2; Colossians 4:5 and 1 John 1:7).

48. Without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27 and 1 Timothy 6:14).

49. Worthily (Ephesians 4:1; 2 and Thessalonians 1:11).

50. Zealously (Titus 2:14).

We certainly have all we need to keep us on track, don't we?

NANCY CAMPBELL
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, I thank you that You have given me Your precious Word that shows me the way to live. Help me to not only be hearer, but a doer of your word. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I want to shine like the stars in the midst of a dark world.