YOU HAVE A BIG CAREER, No. 562

ServantHeart

YOU HAVE A BIG CAREER

“And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them,
if any man desire to be first, the same shall be the last of all,
and servant of all”
(Mark 9:35).

In what capacity do you like to introduce yourself? Some folks may introduce themselves as a teacher, singer, nurse, lawyer, or even a mother. Many pastors like to introduce themselves as Pastor So and So. They make sure they precede their name with the word, Pastor!

How did Paul introduce himself? When writing to the Romans Paul begins: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ” and then he adds “called to be an apostle” (Romans 1:1).

What about Peter? Simon Peter also introduces himself as “a servant and then he adds secondly “and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1). Both these mighty men of God considered themselves to firstly be servants.

The word servant is “doulos” and literally means “a bondslave, one who is in permanent relation of servitude to another.”

Jesus himself confessed that He did not come “to be served but to SERVE, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 ESV).

How do you look upon yourself? In this day of feminism and liberal theology a “servant” would be unthinkable. Isn’t it amazing that many Christians think they are better than the early apostles and even Jesus Himself? Are we too proud to be servants?

Dearest mother, when you feel overburdened and overworked and you have no time to do anything you want to do because all you do is serve others all day long, don’t despair! You are following the footsteps of Jesus. You are like the early apostles. You are in the perfect will of God.

Oh, I know you don’t like being a servant. None of us do. We are so fleshly and selfish. But do we really want to be increasingly more like Jesus? There’s no greater way than to serve. How blessed we are as wives and mothers. We are right in the very place where we can fulfil our serving ministry. We can joyfully serve in our homes all day long. We are in the very sphere where we can become like Jesus.

What way do you like to serve? We can serve grudgingly—sighing and complaining. Or we can serve joyfully. That takes the sting out of serving and relegates it to a high place.

We can serve faithfully. This is the serving that Jesus talks about in Matthew 25:21 where He says: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

You may have dreams of big things you want to do in your life and yet you feel there is no way you can fulfil them with all your little children hanging around you every minute of the day. Dear mother, be faithful to your menial, daily tasks. God sees them. As He sees you faithful in the little things, He will bless you in His time with bigger things.

Although I must interrupt my writing here. I don’t believe exactly what I have just written. Because I believe that no matter what “bigger things” you may one day accomplish in your life, nothing is as big as what you are doing now. Nothing is as big a bringing into this world an eternal soul that will live forever. Nothing is as big as pouring out your nurturing heart to your children. Nothing is as big as preparing and training them for God’s destiny here on earth. Your God-given mothering career influences nations, governments, generations, and eternity!

I hope you have the most wonderful day SERVING your husband and family.

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am in awe that although You were the delight of Heaven, You were willing to come to this earth to serve. Please help me to see the blessing and power of serving and that serving is one of the BIGGEST things that I can do in my life. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I want to live in the glory and blessing of serving my husband and my family.

 

 

Don’t miss the podcast for wives and mothers each week:

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

https://ARPoddy.buzzsprout.com

HOW LOVELY, No. 561

DwellingPlaceHOW LOVELY!

"HOW LOVELY is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies."
Psalm 84:1 (NLT).

The psalmist longed to dwell in the house of the Lord. There was no place he wanted to be more.

Because Jesus Christ died and rose again, we now have the privilege of living in His presence continually. Yes, in the midst of all that is happening in your home, even with your little ones needing you all at once. No matter what you are facing, Jesus wants you to "abide in Him" (John 15:4, 5, 7).

Dear mother, you can live a “lovely life” as you dwell in the One who is all wisdom, love, joy,   peace, and holiness. It is the loveliest place to be.

It is also the most powerful place to be--He is the Lord of the armies of Heaven!

Sadly, we don't always live where God wants us to live in our daily lives, do we? We forget what Ephesians 2:6 tells us that He has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

What is the result of dwelling in Him? Psalm 84:4 (AMP) goes on to tell us that those who dwell in His presence "will be singing Your praises all the day long." All day long?

"You don't know what's going on at my house," you reply. Dear mother, you can experience this "how lovely" as you dwell in Christ Jesus. Instead of allowing your circumstances to overcome you, live in Christ.

Thank Him that you live in His presence where there is fullness of joy. Thank Him that you are seated with Him in the place of authority and power over all your enemies.

Psalm 84, known as the "pearl of psalms," speaks of the joy and loveliness of dwelling in God's presence. This word also means “beloved." It is the beloved place to live. And it is your inheritance through Jesus Christ's death upon the cross for you.

Verse 6 tells us how that even when we go through the "valley of Baca" which means "the valley of tears or weeping" that it becomes a fountain or a place of refreshing springs. Maybe you are facing heartache and tears are flowing down your face. Perhaps you are in a desperate situation. When you dwell in Christ and put your trust in Him, He makes your valley into a place of refreshing.

There is yet more in this psalm. Verse 8 tell us you will go "from strength to strength." In the midst of hardship you can become stronger and stronger every day. In fact, your sorrows and tribulations are for the purpose of growing you in Christ. When you dwell in God and trust Him to do His work in you, your difficulties mature you. Don't let your mothering challenges frustrate you. Dwell in the lovely presence of God and instead of weakening, you will become a stronger mother each new day.

But the half has not been told! Not only can we dwell in God's presence, but He wants to dwell in us! In the past God dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and then in the temple. But now God has a different dwelling place. When Jesus died upon the cross the thick curtain that separated the Holy of Holies was torn apart and now, He comes to dwell in our hearts.

First Corinthians 6:19 also reminds us that we are the dwelling place of God. The word "temple" in this Scripture is "naos" and literally means "the Holy of Holies." This is too awesome to take in. God wants your body to be His Holy of Holies where He can abide. In John 15:4 Jesus not only said: "Abide in me," but He also said, "And I in YOU."

The big question is: is my heart and my body a "lovely" place for the dwelling place of God? Is He welcome? Does He feel at home in my heart? Is it a holy place?

What about our homes? God is a dwelling God who loves to dwell in our hearts, but He also wants to fill our homes with His presence. Is your home a beloved place for God? Ask God to show you anything in your home that grieves His Holy Spirit. Ask Him how to show you how to make your home a “lovely” place for His presence.

Be encouraged today.

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER

“Dear Father, I can hardly take it in that You want my body to be Your temple. Please help me to keep a pure and holy temple for Your presence. I long to be filled with Your presence as I live each day in my home. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Don’t miss the podcast for wives and mothers each week:

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

https://ARPoddy.buzzsprout.com

IT'S TIME TO SAY NO, No. 560

IT'S TIME TO SAY NO

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”
(Ephesians 5:11).

NotAnEcho

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!

Because the devil hates everything that God loves and 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 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 in 1 Kings 20:2, 3. 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.”

How dare he take ownership! They did not belong to him.

But 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: 4, 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 gave up everything that was most 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 some Christian parents don’t mind that their children are taught that Islam is a peaceful religion (while we watch Islamic terror on TV). 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.

They don’t seem to mind that their children are openly taught about alternative lifestyles and that transgenderism is a choice for them. They may even be ignorant that the gay agenda now pushes their lifestyle in our state schools through books and curriculums (even on-line school). 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. Did you know that Ontario (Canada) passed a bill where children could be taken from the parents if they oppose their wanting to change their gender?

Some parents don’t mind that their children are taught that abortion is a woman’s right. They don’t seem to mind that their children are brainwashed in socialism. 

Let’s not give in like Ahab. Let’s have the courage to rise up and say No to the enemy! 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, and I am their guardian.”

It’s time to say No.

Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father God, please give me courage in this hour. Please save me from handing over my children to the devil’s plans. Help me to stand strong against liberalism and socialism and the lies and deception of the devil who wants to steal my children’s mind and hearts. Help me to guard them well. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

As a mother, I am on the guard against all deception and lies from the enemy. I say No to liberalism, socialism, progressivism and all plans steal my children from their God-given destiny.

New Ontario law allows govt to seize children if parents oppose their ‘gender identity’ — RT World News

CAN YOU IMAGINE?, No. 559

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

“Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel”
(Psalm 78:41).

imagine 3867007040

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. Read Psalm 105:24.

Can you imagine what this nation would be like if all God’s people would start embracing children instead of aborting and using contraception to stop them coming into the world? The God-fearing people would be a threat to the enemy. They would be an army to be reckoned with instead of being overtaken by the enemy. Read Exodus 1:5-22.

Can you imagine what would have happened if families had taken a stand for God when the public education system took payer and the Bible out of schools? What if they had taken their children out of the system? The worldly system would soon have had to change their ways. Read Jeremiah 10:25.

Can you image what would happen in the nation if families gathered around their tables each evening to connect and dialogue together instead watching TV or everyone going their various ways? Families would strengthen and cement together instead of fragmenting. Read Psalm 128.3.

Can you imagine what would happen if Bible-believing families gathered their children together each day to read God’s Word to them? Read Psalm 19”7-12 and Psalm 119:165.

Can you imagine what would happen if every Christian household gathered their families together each day, preferably morning and evening to cry out to God for this nation? What would happen if they started praying for the situation we are in now! The World Economic Forum is fighting to bring us into a one world order which will be total tyranny. Is EVERY “Christian” family praying? We can quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 by heart, but do we believe it or do anything about it?

Can you imagine what would happen if people would turn off the Fake News and listen to the voice of God instead? Read Hosea 8:12.

Can you imagine what would happen if every mother began to embrace her divine calling of motherhood and came back to her home to raise God-loving, God-fearing, Bible-adhering, devil-defeating, truth-speaking, holy and upright sons and daughters? Mothers determine the destiny of the nation. Read Judges 5:7 and Titus 2:3-5.

Can you imagine what would have happened in the nation that even in the face of lockdowns and tyrannical mandates against God’s people that Christians would have NEVER stopped going to church? Can you imagine that instead of disobeying God’s Word and staying away from their churches, they had instead FILLED and over-filled EVERY church building in this nation? The authorities could have done nothing to the millions standing up for their God and a great move of God would have happened. Instead many hid away, and the churches weakened. Some have still not returned to church but rely on zoom meetings. Messages on zoom can be good but they are a counterfeit for the ASSEMBLING TOETHER OF GOD’S PEOPLE which we are commanded in God’s Word. Read Hebrews 10:25.

Can you imagine if everyone had resisted mask-wearing? Just imagine if everyone had refused to shop at these businesses. They would soon have reversed their mandate. This is mainly all forgotten now but at the time we only had tyranny because we submitted to tyranny.

I read an article stating that the cabal were surprised that there was not more resistance to their demands! Help! What a challenge. Instead we have cowardly submitted. I

It reminds me of the confession of Rahab when the spies came to check out the land. We read in Joshua 2:9-11: “I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt: and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites . . . And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God is heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

Rahab gave this testimony 40 years after it happened. Their hearts were melting in fear and all courage left them because of the Israelites and yet the Israelites were too fearful to go and possess the land. Now, after all these years, they are still in awe of the Israelites coming!

If only we would get back to God’s ways. If only we would believe that God is on our side. Gross darkness of deception and evil is covering the land. It is time for God’s people RISE AND SHINE WITH HIS GLORY (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Let’s rise to be the people He wants us to be. Wow, we can only imagine!

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please save me from compromising. Please save me from mediocrity, passivity, complacency, neutrality, and lukewarmness. Help me to be strong and very courageous as I stand for Your truth and never cave in.

AFFIRMATION:

Dare to be a Daniel,

Dare to stand alone,

Dare to have a purpose firm

And dare to make it known!

FOR GLORY AND BEAUTY, No. 558

FOR GLORY AND BEAUTY

“Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty”
(Exodus 28:2)

AaronHolyGarmentspic

Modesty and beauty should go together. Both enhance one another. Modesty does not have to be old-fashioned and drab.

There are some dear Christian women who feel they must wear plain and drab clothes to be modest. But we don’t find this anywhere in the Bible. Far from the truth.

The Proverbs 31 woman was dressed beautifully in “fine linen and purple.” When Sarah went down to Egypt, the Pharaoh of Egypt noticed her and brought her to his harem (she would have been clothed in garments suited to royalty). When God designed the clothes for the high priest and his sons, He said: “Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2).

God was the first clothes designer. He loves us to dress for GLORY and for BEAUTY. God delights in beauty. “God has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He created us for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11) and I am sure He loves us to look glorious and beautiful. He clothes His animal creation with beauty and color. He creates the trees and flowers with glory and color. How much more His highest creation?

However, did you notice the other word God used about clothing? He said: “You are to make HOLY garments.” God wants our clothing to be holy too. In other words, we must make sure we are covered. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they became aware they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. But they weren’t fully covered. Then God came, shed the blood of an animal, and made them “coats of skins, and CLOTHED them” (Genesis 3:21).

The word “coats” means “to cover, a coat, a robe.” It comes from a root word “katheph” meaning “the shoulder, upper end of the arm, the place from where the garments hang.” Does this mean that our garments should come from the shoulders rather than bare shoulders? And the word “clothed” means “to wrap around, to put on, to clothe oneself.”

In Mark 5:1-15 we read the story of how Jesus delivered the man who was possessed with a legion of devils. After Jesus delivered him, the Bible says the people found him “sitting, and CLOTHED, and in his right mind.”

I am troubled by the immodesty among many of God’s women today. It’s nearly impossible to go into the doors of a church without confronting cleavage! I beg your pardon? Are we going to a secular function or the house of God? Didn’t Jesus die, shed His blood, and give His life for the church to SANCTIFY and CLEANSE her (Ephesians 5:25-27)? The word “sanctify” means “to make holy, to set apart from the world.”

I know that many do it ignorantly because they follow what everyone else is doing. And, because no one says anything about it!

Sometimes the cleavage is bold; in others it is borderline. Not too much, but just a little. Very enticing! God’s people should never be borderline! Never compromise! Never sit on the fence! We are either one thing or the other. James 4:4 clearly states that if we are friends with the world, we are an enemy of God. We should always lift the standard high.

I am also saddened by many Christian women who publish pictures of themselves on social media, showing cleavage and dressed immodestly. And worse still. So many other Christian women LIKE it! Help! Do they love it? Do they love to see fellow saints showing themselves off? Or do they have no godly standard at all? Or are they so conditioned to immodesty that they don’t even notice it? When we LIKE something on Facebook, we affirm that we agree with it.

I am also saddened by many Christian movies that bring a wonderful message of truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet some of the actors are often dressed immodestly. It makes a double standard.

Forgive me for my little rave, but we each have a responsibility to keep each other in line, don’t we? We are our “brother’s keeper.”

Can I end on a positive note? Let’s dress for GLORY and BEAUTY. What we wear should bring glory to God. What we wear should be FEMININE and show that we are female. We are living in a world that wants to be more and more genderless. Let’s show the gender God created us to be. This doesn’t mean we have to buy expensive clothes. You can make anything beautiful.

Make modesty beautiful! Drab and boring are not biblical.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, I want to glorify You in my life. Please show me how to glorify You even in the clothes I wear. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. I belong to a royal kingdom and therefore I will clothe myself in a way that is a testimony to God’s kingdom.

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