Isaiah 29:22-23 TLB, “My people will no longer be ashamed. For when they see the surging birth rate and the expanding economy, then they will fear and rejoice in my name.”

As we traveled and Val and I drank in the beauty of the bare winter trees, we also noticed something very interesting. Every now and then we would see a bird’s nest in a tree, and yet the trees were not full of bird’s nest. We would see one every now and then. And yet there are thousands and thousands of birds. We see birds all the time around our home here in the woods. Obviously there are plenty of trees for birds to choose to build their homes.

I think it is much the same way with people. The secularists and humanists frighten us with notions that the world is being over-populated and we must limit having children. This is a lie. There is plenty of room for people, just as there are plenty of trees for the birds to build their homes. God has created a big world which He created to be inhabited. This is His purpose for the world He created.

If you have driven from Los Angeles to the East side across this great country of USA, you will see that there is plenty of room in this land. You can drive for hours and hours and see no population at all. Suddenly you drive through a big city and out again – once again driving through miles and miles of uninhabited land! And this is not only in USA. I have traveled by bus and by train through Malaysia – driven for miles between cities, seeing a few homes here and there. The cities may be crowded, but the land is not crowded!

Brian Carnell in How Much Food is Available Now? Says, “The world currently produces more than enough food to provide every single man, woman and child alive today with an adequate diet…”

Dr. Jacqueline R. Kasun in Too Many People states, “If you allotted 1250 square feet to each person, all the people in the world would fit into the state of Texas…”

Professor Budziszewski writes, “Fertility is already declining in every region of the world, and population growth has been slowing down since the late 1970s. In the developed countries, the net reproduction rate is 0.7 and dropping, which means that the next generation will be only 70 percent as large as this one. Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute suggests that we may one day face not an explosion but an “implosion” of population.”

“China, everyone’s favorite supposed example, has fewer than 60 percent as many people per square mile as the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Obviously, then, China’s problem is not overpopulation, but underdevelopment. Many people think that population growth prevents the economic growth of poor nations, but a number of economists now suggest the opposite: every new person brings not only another mouth to feed, but two hands with which to work. Misguided efforts to help poor countries by suppressing their natural population growth may actually hurt them.”

In Ralph Epperson's book, The Unseen Hand, he states that if you took the population of the world (now nearly 5 million) and split it up into families of four and gave them each a piece of land 50' x 53', the entire population of the planet would fit neatly into the state of Oregon.

We really don’t even need these statistics as God has everything in control all along. Isaiah 45:18 says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.”

He gave us this earth to “subdue, and take dominion.” As we look to Him, we will give the ingenuity and enablement to house and grow food for all the children God sends.

I think we should believe God rather than the pessimistic secularists, don’t you?

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“I thank you, Lord, that I can completely trust you. You have the whole universe in your command. You have everything in your control. You have created this world to be filled with your people. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Revelation 4: 11, “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.”

I’m still enjoying this car ride and beholding the beauty of the winter trees. Now that I can see all their branches, I see that they are stretching outwards and upwards - mostly upwards towards their Maker – reaching out in praise to the One who created them.

God created all things for His pleasure – all of His creation, and especially mankind, who is His highest creation. All creation was created to praise Him. Once again, we learn a lesson from the trees. We should always be looking up and stretching out our arms in praise to Him, who alone is worthy.

This afternoon I was at my sister’s home. Beautiful music played softly in the background. Suddenly we recognized the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah. We turned up the volume to the absolute maximum! The anointed music filled the room. We rose, and without thinking about it, automatically raised our arms in praise to the One who is King of kings and Lord and lords and who will reign for ever and ever.

May we be saved from looking downwards and taking our eyes off the Lord. Every branch reaches upwards to the Lord, the Sun of righteousness.  Like the trees, keep looking up. Get into the habit of raising your heart and soul to the Lord. And yes, your arms too. Throw away all your inhibitions. You were born to praise Him. You were born to raise your arms towards Him. You were born to fix your heart and gaze upon Him.

Raise your hands to Him in praise. Raise your arms to Him when you are crying out for His mercy and for answers to your prayers. As I look at the trees now, I see that not only each branch, but each tiny twig is reaching upwards to the Lord. Turn everything in your life to Him – your thoughts, yearnings, cries, hurts, sorrows, and your praise and thanks.

Reach out to the heavens. With upward look and lifted arms your vision will enlarge. You will see things you have never seen before. You will view life from a different vantage point.

Join with David and cry out, “Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 25:1)

Again in Psalm 63:4, “I will lift up my hands in thy name.”

And for your children, “Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones…” (Lamentations 2:19)

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Thank you, Lord, that I can praise you along with all your creation. Help me to be like the trees that are always turned to you in praise and adoration. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Further Study:

Nehemiah 8:6; Psalm 28:2; 86:4; 119:48; 121:1-2; 123:1; 134:2; 141:2; 143:8; Isaiah 40:26; Lamentations 3:41; Luke 21:28; 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 12:2

1Timothy 1:5, “… a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith.”

Colin and I, and my friend, Val Stares (fellow-helper in the ministry of Above Rubies since its inception over 27 years ago) were driving home from town recently, exclaiming rapturously over the beautiful sight of the bare winter trees silhouetted in the twilight sky. The fine outer branches and twigs of the trees looked like intricate lace.

We could see every branch and every twig as the trees are laid bare for winter. God is a God of seasons –- hot and cold, springtime and harvest. Just as it is necessary to have the “bare” winter in the physical realm, it is also important in the spiritual realm. It is good to have a season where we allow our hearts to be laid bare before the Lord.

We do not see the heart of the tree when it is covered with leaves. In the same way, we can cover up many things in our lives with “leaves”. We can look good on the outside and yet have ugly habits or attitudes that we have not dealt with hiding away on the inside.

The bare branches and twigs speak of our inner thoughts, intents and motives -- motives that God alone sees, not even our husband. Why do we do what we are doing? What is our motive? Why do we speak the way we do? What is the underlying reason? In fact, it is a good idea to ask the Lord such questions. “Why am I angry?” “Why am I yelling at the children?” “Why am I always depressed?” If you come into God’s presence and take time to listen, He will answer you and show you the answer, so you can put it right.

Here and there we noticed birds’ nests in the bare trees which we did not notice when they were covered with leaves. Often, we too, nest things in our hearts – good or bad. Sometimes we have a grudge and grow a nest all around it. Or we harbor unforgiveness and make a nest of it, building up a foreign body in our hearts.

As you walk through this winter season of bare trees, do you think you could also lay your heart bare before the Lord? Can you let His pure light expose all your thoughts and motives? All the shadows? All the dark areas? Whatever He exposes, repent of it and deal with it.

Forget the façade. Let Him shine His light on all that hides in your heart? Throw away your nests of revenge, hurt or self pity which show up when your heart is exposed.

Make sure that your heart is pure and cleansed before the new season’s leaves grow again.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL  

PRAYER:

“Lord, I lay my heart bare before you. Expose everything in my heart that grieves your Holy Spirit. Please help me to get rid of all “cover ups”. I want a pure heart. Amen.”

 

AFFIRMATION:

Psalm 40:2-3, “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:2-3)

“God brought me out…”  This was David’s testimony. He couldn’t do it by Himself. You can’t do it by yourself either. It is all His doing. No matter how big the hole you have dug for yourself, God is able to pull you out. No matter how deep the mire you have sunk into, it is not too hard for God. No matter how impossible the way ahead seems, God will pull you out and up and set your feet upon the Rock. 

Let’s look at one more thing that God delivers us out of to bring us in to His glorious life.

OUT OF SELF INTO GOD

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) 

This is perhaps the greatest deliverance of all. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins and to deliver us from the seductive power of this evil age, but to save us from our inherent selfish nature. 

To be a slave to self is the biggest bondage of all. The basis of all sin is the middle letter of that word - I. How wonderful that Jesus died to free us from the slavery of self and bring us into His freeing life.

There is only one place to be free of self, and that is at the cross. At the cross Jesus gave up His God-head, His life and His desire to have His own way. It is at the cross that we die to self.

The Scriptures tells us that when Christ died, we died with Him. When he was buried, we were buried with Him.  When He rose, we rose with Him to a new life in Christ. Our old life is dead and buried. We now have a new life. This is truth, but you have to acknowledge it and walk in it by faith. When “I” starts to take over, which it will try to do continually, confess these words, “I am dead and buried. I am no longer serving self. I serve the living God.” The more you acknowledge this truth, the more it will become part of your life. 

“Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,

Out of despair into raptures above,

Jesus I come to Thee.”

NEVER GO BACK AGAIN

Deuteronomy 26:8, “The Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.” God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty and outstretched hand. He bared forth His mighty hand as he sent the plagues upon Egypt. He brought them through the red sea on dry land. He delivered them utterly from the ensuring Egyptians.

We have also been delivered by God’s mighty hand. Jesus Christ not only died a painful death and shed His precious blood for our sins, but he broke the chains of death and hell. He delivered us from the clutches of the enemy. He did not suffer this death for us to go back to the old  kingdom again. No.

Egypt speaks of the world and Satan’s kingdom. God told the people of Israel, “You must never return to Egypt.”17:16 NLT) He did not even want them to remember Egypt any more. They were to forget about it completely. Sadly, when things got difficult, the children of Israel forgot the hardships they endured in Egypt and wanted to return. This grieved the heart of God.  Read Exodus 13:17; Numbers 14:2-3 and Ezekiel 23:27. God did not deliver them “with great terribleness, and with signs and with wonders” for them to go back again. Never! Jesus has also delivered us, never to go back to the old way of living again.  

You have been brought out of into! Live your new life. It is “Christ in you the hope of glory.”

PRAYER:

“Thank you, Lord, for delivering me from the power of self and the kingdom of darkness. Please save me from being tempted to ever go back to Egypt again. I now live in a new kingdom. Help me to live life  to the full in your glorious kingdom. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: