GOD IS IN ALL YOUR MOTHERING

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5, 6).

Do you notice that the above Scripture tells us to acknowledge the Lord in “all our ways”?  That also means in all the practical ways of our lives. That means in all our mothering ways. We can often feel very close to God when we are in a quiet place reading out Bible and no distractions. In fact, we can feel very spiritual. But what about when we get back in the fray? In the midst of babies, toddlers, tantrums, teens, frustrations, and overwhelmingness! How can we know God then?

Dear mother, God wants you to know Him in all your daily mothering. And not only know about him but to know Him intimately. That word “know” in the Hebrew is yada which means “to know intimately.”

Let’s get to the reality of life. God is the One who created our bodies. He wondrously, intricately, and amazingly created them to carry and nurture life in our wombs, to give birth, to pour out life and sustenance from our breasts, and to mother and teach our children.

We are created, called, chosen, and ordained, designated, and destined—physically, emotionally, and spiritually for this purpose. Therefore, as we realize this divine truth (and can I please interrupt my sentence here--it is a divine truth even if our humanistic society does not embrace it) we will come to understand His ways.

Because it is God’s plan, the enemy wants to rob us from it. When he robs us of this truth, he robs us of our full understanding of God. As we embrace this divine truth, we come to find out more and more of who God is like. And the more we embrace His ways in our roles as wives and mothers, the more He reveals to us and leads us in His paths.

Seek with all your heart to know God in the way He created you. Don’t be dumbed down by the foolishness of our feminist society. Discover all the amazing hormones He gives to you when you are pregnant. Experience the beautiful blissful and calming hormones He gives to you while you nurse your baby. God is wrapped up in all your mothering. You miss knowing much of who God really is when you discard your mothering ways for the ways of the world.

We understand how He wants us to mother even as we read these negative Scriptures about animals and birds:

Job 39:13-16: “The ostrich . . . which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is vain without fear; because God hath deprived her of her wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.”

Lamentations 4:3: “Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.”

Jeremiah 8:7: “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming:  but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.”

Let’s be those who know God and who He created us to be and how He created us to function. We don’t only learn of God’s ways listening to a message in church. We learn God’s ways in the nitty gritty of life in our homes.

Be blessed, Nancy Campbell

www.abovwerubies.org

PRAYER:

“Thank You, dear Father God, for creating me in Your image. Thank You for designing the beautiful female body and creating me to join with You in bringing an eternal soul into the world. It is a privilege beyond description. Thank You that You are with me and part of all my mothering. I love You. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am blessed to embrace God’s wonderful design in creating me to be a mother.

P.S. Here are some links you may like to check out:

http://tinyurl.com/PreservedThroughMotherhood

http://bit.ly/PreservationTestimonies

http://www.thealphaparent.com/2014/06/how-breastfeeding-changes-your-brain.html

www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/02/the-amazing-interplay-between-mother-and-unborn-child-2/#.VcI5m_nlY4I

PRAYING FOR A PREPARED ARMY

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them,
and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
(Ezekiel 37:10).

I am sure, like me, you are praying for hundreds, even thousands to be raised up to be a voice for God’s truth to take the place of God’s faithful servant, Charlie Kirk.

However, praying and thinking about this, I realize that we must pray very specifically. Because of Charlie’s inspiring life there are already many who want to take his place (although no one will ever take his place). There will be many who will rise up to bring the same message, but every person will do it in their own specific way for God has created every person uniquely.

We must pray fervently that God will raise up young men and women, not only to be willing, bold, and courageous, but also PREPARED. It takes a lot more than being willing and excited to get into the fray. It takes much preparation.

I read Isaiah 50:4 this morning: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned,”

Did you notice that phrase, “the tongue of the learned.” Charlie had the “tongue of the learned.” You don’t suddenly get that kind of tongue. You must first learn. The word in the Hebrew is limmud and means “taught, trained, skilled.” It means to be a disciple or a student. To have the “tongue of the learned” does not come from haphazard reading of the Bible but from diligent study and training. It comes from waking morning by morning to get up and study God’s word.

Those who want “the tongue of the learned” (especially if they want to follow in Charlie’s footsteps) will not be young people who stay up unnecessarily each night and therefore can’t get up in the morning. They will discipline their lives, so they are ready for God to wake them early. They will immediately get out of bed and run to hear what God has to say to them! They will not be sleeping in like so many young people today.

GW: “Morning by morning he will wake me to listen like a student.”

NET: “He wakes me up every morning; he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do.”

Berkeley: “He alerts my ear to hear as a student.”

What is a student? One who studies. 2 Timothy 2:5 says: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Notice the word “workman.”

The word study in this Scripture is spoudazo. It is pronounced “spoo-dad-zo.” Such a fun word to say. Try saying it. It means “to make haste, to use speed, to exert oneself, give diligence, labor.” The true student of God doesn’t lie around in bed but gets up and makes haste to his or her “trysting” place where they meet with God.

I know a great teacher of the Word of God (now over eighty years) who still gets up at 4.00 am every morning to study the Scriptures until lunchtime. That’s why we listen to him because he has the “tongue of the learned.”

I also think of the example of Ezra. It tells us in Ezra 7:10 (Berkeley): “For Ezra had disciplined himself to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Other translations use the words: “determined to study,” “dedicated himself to study,” “set his heart to study.”

Dear fellow prayer warriors, I do believe this must be our true burden for prayer. We are all longing for thousands (and even millions) to rise up like Charlie Kirk, but they must prepare. Let’s pray for young people who truly mean business. Those who will daily devour God’s word. Who long after it. Who will be richly filled with God’s word (Colossians 3:16). Who will press in with all their hearts and who will not only be willing and courageous, but who will be PREPARED so that the Word of God is in their mouth, ready to give an answer (Joshua 1:8; Isaiah 59:21; and 1 Peter 3:15). God wants His word in our minds, our hearts, and our mouths.

Answers only come from those who are steeped in God’s word and who can give God’s answers, not from their own thoughts or ideas.

2 Timothy 2:15 tells us the reason for studying? Not for gaining our own glory, but to be APPROVED UNTO GOD. I think this is the greatest degree we should aim to have after our name, the AUG, Approved Unto God!

Let’s pray for a mighty army of soldiers who are truly PREPARED to face the continued war in this nation, the war against woke-ism, Marxism, socialism, humanism, and Isalamism which are all antagonistic to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I pray that You will give me such a hunger and longing for Your precious Word. I pray that my children will see my love for Your Word, and they will be moved with the same longing. I pray that they will become true disciples and students of Your eternal Word. Please save them from the lazy Christianity of today. May they become true workman, rightly dividing the word of truth, and ready to share it with others. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I will be . . . 

Disciplined to study God’s word,

Determined to do it, and

Dedicated to sharing it!

P.S. Picture: This is my trysting place where I meet with God each morning.

WISE OR FOOLISH, PART 2

He cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the people with his truth”
(Psalm 96:13).

CHECK NO. 5

A wise woman knows that God has put the responsibility of teaching children into the hands of parents. She will make sure that the person who teaches her children is not influencing them against God’s principles and truth. If this happens, she will do something about it. If she cannot find a trustworthy school or private teacher, she will need to explore educating them at home. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 is in the context of the home, not the school.  Read it again.  

The wise woman is aware of what is happening in the public school system. The American Humanist, 1983 states: “The battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who currently perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity . . . to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level, preschool, daycare, or large state university. The classroom must and will become an area of conflict between the old and new – the rotting corpse of Christianity . . . and the new faith of humanism.”          

The foolish mother is too busy doing her own thing to notice that her children are being subtlety brainwashed with humanistic values. She prays in the morning that God will bless them and then sends them off to be taught by those who scoff at the things of God. But Psalm 1 says that our children will only be blessed when they DO NOT sit in the seat of the scoffers! 

CHECK NO. 6 

The wise woman has a meek and quite spirit. Today’s woman is encouraged to stand up for her rights and assert her demands. This is not the spirit of Christ in whose steps we are to follow.           

The wise woman understands the spirit of Christ is the spirit of meekness. (Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:12,13; and 1 Peter 3:1-6). 

The wise woman realizes the spirit of Christ is the spirit of serving her family and others before herself (Matthew 20:26-28 and Philippians 2:5-8). 

The wise woman acknowledges the spirit of Christ is the spirit of yielding to God’s will (Psalm 40:8 and Matthew 26:36-42). 

The wise woman turns away anger with a soft word (Proverbs 15:1).      

The wise woman is “easy to be entreated.” This is one of the seven pillars with which the wise woman builds her home (Proverbs 9:1; 23:3; and James 3:13-18). 

The wise woman has a humble spirit. She is aware that “unobtrusive humility is the proper attitude of true wisdom” (Isaiah 66:2; James 4:5, 6; and 1 Peter 5:5, 6). 

But the foolish woman is loud and defiant. She is also noisy (Proverbs 7:11 and 9:13). Job’s wife found it hard to yield to the sovereignty of God in their suffering and she complained bitterly. Job chided her and said: “You talk as one of the foolish women would talk” (Job 2.10). 

CHECK NO. 7 

A wise woman will endeavor to walk in God’s ways, not her own ways. She is aware of the voices of deception all around her and seeks diligently after God’s truth. She constantly searches God’s word to check that what she believes is Bible-based and not the humanistic philosophies of this age. This is vital, not only for herself, but for her children. She must know truth in order to teach her children the truth. She is most concerned that her children have a biblical worldview in every aspect of life. 

The woman of wisdom uses her understanding, but she does not lean on it. Just as a reed is useful to weave a basket yet is not strong enough to lean upon, so our own understanding can lead us astray. If we lean on it, we will lean to what benefits us, to selfishness, or to the easy way out (Isaiah 53:6; Proverbs 3:5-8; and 28:25,26).

It is only God’s truth that will stand the test of time. When God comes to judge the world, He will judge us with HIS TRUTH, not according to the man-made thought patterns of this world (Psalm 96:13). The foolish woman allows herself to be caught up in this world’s system.

May God help us all to be wise women who will build strong homes in our nation. 

Love from Nancy Campbell  
www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear God of all wisdom, I do not want to be a foolish woman. I want to be a wise woman who builds my house and makes it strong. Please lead me in the ways of wisdom and please expose all temptations and foolishness that would come to deceive me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I‘m building my life and my home on God’s infallible Word.

WISE OR FOOLISH, PART 1

“Every wise woman buildeth her house,
but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands”
(Proverbs 14:1).

The Bible speaks a lot about the wise woman and the foolish woman. It’s a good idea to check how we are making out, isn’t it?

CHECK NO.1 

Proverbs 14:1 says the wise woman builds her home, but the foolish tears it down by her own efforts. Stable homes, where God’s love and peace reign, do not automatically happen. They are built by wise women— women who are prepared to work hard to make their home a habitation for God and for their family. They know it is their highest calling. 

The wise woman knows that she is the heart of her home. When the heart stops beating, the person dies. When the mother’s heart stops beating in her home, that home begins to fall apart. 

This woman knows that it takes more than the feeling of love to build a marriage. It is commitment to a covenant, irrespective of change or circumstances. She knows that it takes more than giving birth to raise a godly child. 

She recognizes that her power and influence as a builder will not only affect her family, but the nation. The children that come forth from her home will affect many lives, for good or bad. But her vision is greater than the now. She knows she is building into the generations to come so she is careful how she builds. Her influence is far reaching. 

CHECK NO. 2 

The Hebrew word for building our home is banah. Not only does it mean “to build up and to repair” but also “to bring about increase in offspring.” The wise woman knows that having children is part of building a home that will affect the destiny of her nation. 

The wise woman does not reject her divine mandate to bring forth children for God’s eternal kingdom. She is aware that the power of her mothering will continue into the eons of eternity. Children are not burdens, but eternal souls who will live forever.  

The foolish woman is not concerned with God’s plan but rather her own plans. She would rather fulfil her own career, which will probably be burnt up one day when our works are tried by fire at the Judgment Seat. She doesn’t want to get her hands dirty, changing babies’ diapers and doing mundane home tasks. She is not aware that she is exchanging an eternal career for a passing earthly one.  

CHECK NO. 3 

A wise woman is a hard worker. Proverbs 31:17, 27 (TLB) says “She is energetic, a hard worker . . . she works far into the night! She sews for the poor and generously gives to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them. She also upholsters with finest tapestry; her own clothing is beautifully made . . . She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is never lazy.” 

She is not afraid of housework and the commitment of mothering. She knows that the Bible tells her to be a “worker at home” (Titus 2:5). She opens her home to hospitality and ministers to those in need. Read Acts 9:36-42 and 1 Timothy 5:10. If she has extra time, she uses her talents to make commodities which she can sell to help with family finances. She never wastes time sitting around watching a “soap” on TV. 

CHECK NO. 4

A wise woman is rooted in her home whereas the feet of the foolish woman never stay at home. Proverbs 7:11 says: “Her feet abide not in her house.” Because she hasn’t got a vision for her home and doesn’t understand God’s purposes, she finds home boring. Read Psalm 127.3 and 1 Timothy 5:11-15.  

It is interesting that God calls the wife and mother a “vine,” planted within the heart of her home. A vine can extend its branches out over the wall. A mother can also touch many lives outside her home, especially as she reaches out to those who are in need, but she knows where her roots are. She keeps her roots strongly embedded in the vision of her home. Her home is an exciting hub where everything is happening. It’s too exciting to vacate! Of course, that depends on her making exciting.

We all have the opportunity to make our homes what we want them to be.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, I thank You that Your plan is for the mother to be in the heart of the home. Please help me to embrace Your truth with all of my heart. Show me how to make my home the most desirable, delightful, and dearest place on earth to my husband, my family, and myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am a happy mother and homemaker.