Smelling Good or Bad?

by Nancy Campbell-Above Rubies

Ephesians 5:26, "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Back many years ago when folks did not have the plumbing in their homes that we enjoy today, most families took a bath once a week. Even when I was a child we bathed once a week, usually Saturday evening, to prepare for Sunday. But, we were challenged to have a Quiet Time every day where we read the Word of God to cleanse our inward lives.

Today, times have changed. Now that we have showers, everyone enjoys a shower every day to cleanse their bodies, but many only have a spiritual shower once a week, often a little face wash which they let the pastor give them as they listen to his sermon! They don't even wash themselves!

We could not imagine going around dirty without washing our bodies, and yet we have no compunction about leaving our souls dirty. Just as we like to have a daily shower, it is even more important to daily wash the inward man. Often the inward man gets dirtier than the outward man. Each one of us faces daily challenges in life where we are tempted to be angry, bitter, hurt, upset, cantankerous, grouchy, complaining, proud and rebellious--and so the list goes on. Oh what a filthy inside! We really cannot survive without a daily bath of the inward man, can we? Otherwise our sins and the contaminations build up and we become a "bad smell" in our own home!

Do you remember the words that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees? "Cleanse FIRST that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:26) Read also Hebrews 10:22. The Word of God is the water that washes us. The word 'washing' in this Scripture is the Greek word, loutron (the verb is louo) and it means, "to take a bath, to wash the whole body and not just a part of it." It speaks metaphorically of washing every part of the inward man--our heart, soul, spirit, mind and emotions. It's a whole bath, not just a face wash. I find that if I do not personally read God's Word each day that sin can build up in my life and I am not even aware of it. But when I read the Word, the Holy Spirit reveals the things that grieve Him and which pollute my soul. I am convicted to repent and cast them from my life so I can keep my inward man clean. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." I love the adage, "Sin will keep you from the Word of God, or the Word of God will keep you from sin." This is a good one to teach our children, isn't it? I grew up on this. As soon as your children can read well, encourage them to have a daily Quiet Time. Show them where to read and teach them how to hear the Holy Spirit speak to them as they read. Teach them that it is as important to wash their inward man each day as it is to wash their body. I remember reading about a dear Chinese Christian who confessed, "No Bible; no breakfast." He would never nourish his physical body until he had nourished his soul.

Perhaps you are young mom with lots of little children around you. How do you get time to read the Word? I know it is not easy. I remember when I had three children under 17 months, and then four children under four! Help! How could I find time to read the Word? I did it by putting my Bible on my windowsill, usually open to Psalms or Proverbs. I could look up from doing dishes and preparing vegetables to read a Scripture. You may like to have a Bible in the toilet or bathroom. Keep a Bible in the spot where you like to nurse your baby. Read a few Scriptures to your children at breakfast time and then again at your evening meal. Keep their souls as well as their bodies clean, too.

Which do you wash the most? Your physical body or your inward man?

Jesus said, "Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3)

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, Above Rubies

PRAYER:Wash me and take this mess as far as the east is from the west,Wash me and take this sin,Only You can make me pure again,I'm inviting you to come on in and Wash me!

AFFIRMATION:I'm smelling good, inside and out!

The Easy Way

By Nancy Campbell, Above Rubies

Isaiah 44:20, "A deceived heart has turned him aside."

Have you read the story of Pilgrim's Progress? If so, do you remember when Christian was tempted to turn into Bypath Meadow? Faithful and Christian were weary and the King's Way was rough and stony. They were tired and their feet ached. They came to a stile where the fence divided the King's Way from Bypath Meadow. Bypath Meadow was a smooth, grassy path instead of the rough stony one--but best of all; it ran right alongside the Way of the King. They wouldn't be going in the wrong direction. They really wouldn't be turning away and they would be able to jump back over the fence if it veered in the wrong direction.They turned aside to the easy path. But eventually a storm came and flooded the path, darkness came and they could not find the way back to the King's Way. They fell asleep and were seized by Giant Despair and his cruel wife, Diffidence. They were cruelly beaten and imprisoned for some time until God provided a way to escape.

This is how the enemy tempts us too. We would never veer right away from the Lord. Of course we want to obey and follow Him. But we are often tempted to take the easy path. We are tired of the sacrifice, heartaches and sleepless nights. We are tired of taking up our cross. We want it easy. We want everything to go our own way.

"Have another child? Help! Too much work. I want to take it easy. I want some rest." But does it really make life easier? More children results in more blessings, more entertainment in the home, more diversity, more built-in helpers and built-in friends.

"Do I really have to stop eating all that sugar and all those carbs? I love them. They're my comfort food." They may be the desirable way, but not in the end!

"I'm overwhelmed with all this homeschooling. I can't take it any longer. I'm sending them back to public school." Sure, it's the easier way. But what about the ungodly influence on your children? What about the subtle humanist brainwashing? What about the ungodly friends they may make? How will it affect their destiny?

The easy path takes us further and further away from the truth. If we take the easy way in our family, we'll begin to take the easy way in other areas too. We'll begin to rely on government, rather than being a free people and taking responsibility for ourselves. We'll become weak and no longer people of strength of character. And the long term result is bondage to dictatorship.

I was talking to a friend about a couple who are having marriage problems. "It's no use her going back to him until her heart wants to go back," my friend commented. "Oh no," I replied. "If she waits for her heart, she may never return!

"What does the Bible say in Jeremiah 17:9? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Our heart can so easily deceive us. We don't stay in a marriage because our heart is happy and wanting to stay. We stay in a marriage, or go back to a marriage if we have left it, because it is the right thing to do--because of obedience and commitment. No wonder there is so much divorce today. Everyone wants to take Bypath Meadow. They want the easy way out. Their focus is on looking after themselves. Everything revolves around self. "Poor me. He's not meeting my needs. He doesn't understand me." The excuses keep coming. But Marriage is not all about "me." Marriage is forgetting about myself and concentrating on how I can serve my husband and family. It's commitment to my vows. It's not giving in to deceptive feelings but sticking to the vision of building a godly generation. It continues in the face of hardship and frustration.

Marriage is more than two people. Marriage affects our children. It affects the extended family. It affects the church and everyone around us. It affects the generations to come--and eternity. When we turn aside to the easy path, we enter into deviation, delusion and deception. It is only when we get back on the King's Highway of truth that we will be safe, even though we may face challenges and difficulties.

Don't be deceived by the easy path.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER:"Oh God please save me from being deceived. Save me from taking the easy path that looks good, but is not your way. Give me discernment to recognize the bypaths. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:I will not be deceived by the allurements of the easy way.

CHRISTMAS FILLING

Ephesians 5:18, "Be filled with the Spirit."
What do you think of at Christmas? Too many people Christmas is coming home from shopping with a car filled with gifts, homes filled with decorations, tables filled with food and stockings filled with things we will never use. We are filled to over the top.
Does this picture relate to the story we read of Jesus' birth in the New Testament? As I read the account again recently I noticed something I hadn't understood before. Yes, the birth of Jesus is a time of filling, but a different kind of filling. It is the filling of the Holy Spirit. Nearly everyone associated with the birth of Jesus was filled and empowered with the Holy Ghost. Let's have a look...
The birth of John the Baptist
The angel came to Zacharias and told him that he would have a son who would prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. He said in Luke 1:15-17, "He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."
God was true to His word and Elisabeth, Zacharias' wife conceived. Mary came to visit her during her pregnancy and the moment Mary greeted Elisabeth, "the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." (Luke 1:41)
John was born with great joy. At his circumcision celebration where they named him John, "Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied." (Luke 1:67)
The birth of Jesus
Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 says, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God." Read also Matthew 1:18, 20. After Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary took him to the temple to be dedicated. At the temple was a man named Simeon who was filled with the Holy Ghost. Luke 2:25-28 tells us more about him. He was "just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus... then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God..."Simeon walked and lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. He listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Because he was in tune with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was able to reveal to him about Jesus and He led him, by the Spirit, into the temple at the very right moment that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus. As Simeon held Jesus in his arms, he also prophesied by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 2:34-35)
Anna, a widow of 84 years, who "served God with fastings and prayers night and day" also prophesied by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 2:37-38)
The challenge is: what are we going to be filled with this Christmas? It should be a time to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Imagine if we spent as much, or more time, seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit as rushing around buying gifts and preparing for Christmas. What would happen? Imagine if we took time to listen to the Holy Spirit. What would we learn? What would He say to us? What difference would it make in our lives and in our homes? Imagine if we asked the Holy Spirit to lead us instead of doing our own agenda. How would He direct us? Who would He lead us to speak to? What kind of Christmas would we organize?
Don't you think it would be exciting? The birth of Jesus was not ordinary. It was supernatural. Everything that happened was miraculous. People were filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit. Why don't we put aside our own agenda for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants us to do. Let Him direct us and lead us at this Christmas time. Let's be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES
PRAYER:"Lord, I ask that you will lead me by your Holy Spirit. I want to hear your voice speaking to me. Please direct me the way you want me to go. Fill my life with our Holy Spirit. Fill our home with your Spirit. May the anointing of the Holy Spirit be the preeminent thing in all our lives this Christmas."
AFFIRMATION:I am listening to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Above Rubies Article

THE ORIGINAL FEMALE

by Nancy Campbell-www.aboverubies.org

Matthew 19:4 "And he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."

Interesting! God didn't make two Adams. He didn't make two Eves. He created an Adam and an Eve. He created a male and a female.

The most common Greek word for 'woman' in the New Testament is gune which means 'woman, wife.' However, Jesus used a more specific word when he answered the Pharisees who asked him about divorce. He used the word thelus which comes from the root word thele. It literally means 'a woman's breast from which a baby sucks to find sustenance and to thrive.' Jesus described the female as a suckling mother. "This is how God made them in the beginning," he reminded them. And God has not yet made a new model!

There are many women who do not like to hear this description. To be a suckling mother seems degrading to a career woman. And yet this is who God created us to be. When we embrace children and suckle them at the breast we fulfill our highest destiny. We live in the glory of our femaleness. We find our greatest beauty. And we wield a mighty power.

The mother who embraces life and suckles a babe at her breast is not wasting her time. She is nourishing a child who potentially bears the image of God--a child who will come forth from her home one day to bring God's love and salvation to many. Maybe this child will be a mighty voice to turn a nation to God. And she nurtures a child for everlasting eternity. It is still true that "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."

When a mother nurses her baby she produces prolactin, which is known as the "mothering hormone." The more the mother suckles the baby, the more prolactin she produces and therefore the more motherly she becomes. God has divinely endowed the female with a maternal instinct, but when she suckles at the breast this maternalness is enhanced even more. She lives more in the anointing of who God created her to be--to reveal the maternal character of God--His love, compassion, pity and nurturing.

Some mothers say, "I'm only interested in quality, not quantity" and so they limit their children so they can supposedly give more to the one or two they choose to have. This is a false conception. As her two children grow and go off to school, she is mothering less and less and looks to find fulfillment elsewhere, often going out to work and establishing herself in a career. And so her children receive less of her time. Whereas, when a mother has another baby and suckles the babe at her breast, prolactin kicks in and the motherly hormones pour in again. Not only does her baby benefit from this loving hormone, but her whole family. The love and nurturing spreads out to all her children. This is how God keeps the mother protecting and delighting in her children in the home.

God also uses this description of the female as a suckling mother in Romans 1:26, "For this cause God gave them up until vile affections: for even their women (thelus) did change the natural use into that which is against nature." This is a very challenging Scripture to all females because it states that when a woman turns away from the natural function of how God created the female body to function--with a womb to conceive and nurture life and breasts to suckle this life, that God gives them up to vile affections. Isn't it amazing that we have become such a deceived generation that women do not want to be who they were created to be?

Please understand, I am not talking about mothers who are not able to conceive children or even those who are not physically able to breastfeed. We don't live in a perfect world and not everyone's bodies are functioning as God originally intended. God looks at the heart and our intentions, whether we embrace His ways or turn from His ways in our hearts.

He wants us to turn towards Him, not turn away from the way He created us.


Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, Above Rubies


PRAYER:

"Lord, please help me to be truly female as you designed me to be."


AFFIRMATION:

"As I hold this baby in my arms

I'm like a picture of you,

To nurture with your love is what

You made me to do."

I Am Dangerous!

Thank you Lord for sending the right words at just the right time. May you other mothers be encouraged today too!
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I AM DANGEROUS!
By Nancy Campbell-www.aboverubies.org

Exodus 1:12, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel." The first chapter of Exodus tells us about the children of Israel living down in Egypt. Verse 7 says, "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." They were fulfilling the first commandment that God gave to man. Something powerful always happens when we obey God's commandments. They are not ordinary words to be discarded; they are life-giving decrees.
What happened in Egypt? The children of Israel became "more and mightier" than the Egyptians. (v. 9). They became a threat to them. And the Egyptians were grieved. The word grieved is the Hebrew word qutsand it means "disgusted, abhorred, horrified, afraid--actually vomiting is the primary understanding of the word."
This same Hebrew word is used in another passage where the children of Israel became a threat. In Numbers 22:3 it tells us, "Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many and Moab was distressed (quts) because of the children of Israel." Why was Moab so very afraid? Because the Israelites were multiplying! When a people multiply, they become scary. When they multiply, they take dominion.
Now here's the question. Are we, the people of God, a threat to the enemy in our nation today? Sadly, we have to answer no. For the last seven or eight decades, instead of multiplying, God's people have been diminishing. They have turned away from the infallible, immutable Word of God and followed their own desires. They have limited their number of children to the worldly 1.6 average. They have sacrificed bringing God's children into the world on the altar of careerism and modern culture-ism. And now the humanists and socialists are taking over.
There are thousands and millions of precious godly offspring who are not here! God has been deprived of His intentions. The world has been deprived of the godly offspring who fill the nation with His love, righteousness. truth, salvation, wisdom and justice. And of course, although many do not realize it, the parents themselves have been deprived.
But all is not lost. There are a growing number of families who are listening to the heartbeat of God. They are hearing His desire for family and for children. They are turning from their deceptions and opening their hearts to the children that He has destined for them to have, whether it is one or ten! As they obey God's first commandment something amazing is happening. The liberalists are starting to get scared! They are so horrified, they want to vomit!
Very recently a book was published by a radical feminist and published by Beacon Press, which promotes homosexuality and anti-Christian dogma. She wrote this book to expose Biblical patriarchy and fruitfulmotherhood. In this book she states that the parents who embrace children are "a movement we ignore at our peril." In a message to Barack Obama, she writes, "Fearless Leader--forget the fundamentalists in Iraq; these prolific Christians are the real bad guys!" In other words, fruitful mothers, embracing the children God wants them to have are dangerous! They are scaring the feminists!
The enemy, who hates life, who comes "to rob, kill and destroy" is scared of the godly seed! Mothers who are not deceived by the delusions of Satan, the robber of life, and who still believe in God's very first mandate to mankind are dangerous people! Isn't that exciting? You may think you are insignificant as you care for your children in your home each day, but mother, lift up your eyes! You are doing a powerful work. You are doing God's work. You are dangerous to the enemy. He is scared of you, because he is scared of the godly seed coming into this world who will hate evil and love righteousness, who will destroy the works of the devil and lift up the name of Jesus. And those who walk in deception and follow the devil's ways are scared of you too!
Don't you love being dangerous? Look out! Here we come--holding on to the Word of Life, walking in God's commandments, embracing the Godly seed and training them to be mighty warriors for God who will impact this world and fill it with His glory. Never forget--the more children a godly mother brings into this world...
The more scared the liberalists will become!
The more evil will be defeated in the land!
The more the kingdom of God will be advanced!
The more the gospel will be spread across the earth!
The more the image of God will be revealed in the earth!
The more the economy will boom in the land!
The more righteousness and morality will pervade the land!
The more righteous leaders will arise in the nation!
The more justice, honesty and truth will flood the land!
The more God will be glorified in the earth!
The more the nation will prosper and be blessed!
The more dangerous she will be!
And the more the statists will fear and tremble!

Keep being dangerous!

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES

PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to see clearly. Help me to realize the power of motherhood and the power of every child you give me to fulfill your plans in this world. Save me from holding back children whom you have destined to accomplish your mighty works. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I am a dangerous woman!


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To Schedule Your Baby or Not?

This is an article from a recent Above Rubies magazine written by a mom in the same place as a lot of mom's out there. What do you do with your baby as far as getting them to sleep, eat, etc? Should you schedule them or nurse on demand? I hope the following story helps for lots of you out there with new babies or ones on the way!
PS-The books/manuals she mentions are all available through the Above Rubies website (tab on the right) or if you live near me, I have them (and many others) and would love to lend them to you!

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Baby Three Changed my Heart!

I was pregnant with my second child when a friend loaned me The Power of Motherhood. “You’re a fast reader, so read this and tell me what you think,” she said. I dutifully skimmed the book but returned it with a mental, “Thanks, but no thanks, I have a mothering system.” You see, I had read a book about scheduling and getting your babies to sleep through the night--man’s wisdom on parenting. I rigidly followed this schedule which involved letting your baby cry it out to teach the child to sleep.
My first child, Kaiser, slept through the night at six weeks. He was also fully weaned by that time, but he cried a lot to achieve that. The chapter in The Power of Motherhood titled “Mothers are Nurturers” especially grated me. I was convinced that this scheduling method was the way I’d mother all my children.
I read in that chapter from Isaiah 66:10-13, “That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations: that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Nancy followed by saying “Nursing is…total mothering to meet every need of the child…to satisfy, delight, console and comfort.” I was not moved. This way of mothering was not for me!
God gave us baby number two, my little redhead named Hudson. I scheduled him and he slept through the night at six weeks, self-soothing by sucking his thumb. I did manage to nurse him until he was 15 months old. This scheduling was so easy; baby number three would be no problem.
Baby number three arrived, my first little girl, Adeline. I tried to schedule her for the first three months of her life. But she would not be scheduled! She began to NOT sleep! She slept no longer than 45 minutes at a time 24 hours a day. She wanted to sleep with me! A big no-no according to the book. I was reeling! What had happened? Why wasn’t this working?
I was a mess due to the lack of sleep, but God finally had my attention. To save my sanity, I stopped trying to schedule and began to nurse when she needed me. Wonder of wonders, she began to sleep better, though she didn’t sleep through the night until she was five years old!
I began to study the Bible, seeking God’s wisdom. God brought me back to the Isaiah 66 passage and I got it! It had been three years since I had read this passage, but finally I understood. The beauty of mothering by offering my breast for comfort, nourishment and nurturing brought peace to my soul. I was and am at rest.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Mothering my first two children, I was selfish and controlling. I didn’t want to lose sleep! The book said to let the baby cry. Slowly, I became numb to his cries and my heart turned to stone. Even my husband would ask to pick up the crying baby to rock and comfort him, but I said, “No, the book says…”
After Addie, I pressured my husband into scheduling a vasectomy. He was reluctant as he wanted more children, but because I was such a mess, he agreed. A couple of days before the consultation, I read Isaiah 66 again. God used that to not only change my mothering but to open me up to the possibility of more children. We cancelled the appointment and eventually began to study the manual, Be Fruitful and Multiply.
We began to understand God’s plan for families as we went through each Scripture. I wept for the children I had missed out on by controlling my womb. I began to realize my lack of submission to God and my husband. My husband began to understand his role in leading the house. He now has a vision to change the world through godly children.
Since then, God has added two more blessings to our home. At one year, Haven is still nursing strong, day and night! She sleeps in a co-sleeper attached to our bed, and snuggles in an Ergo by day. Addie and Isaiah both nursed until they were almost three years old and weaned only after I got pregnant.
Mothering this way is such a beautiful picture of the love of God! Is it always easy? NO! With every baby I learn more about dying to my self. But, knowing my breasts comfort my little ones brings much peace to me. Now my husband has the opportunity to comfort and rock his little ones too!
LISA FALK
Plainville, Illinois, USA
dltalk@adams.net
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


I started off scheduling my babies too. It wasn’t until baby number four, who refused to schedule and refused to sleep through the night until he was comforted at the breast, that I, too, changed to the Isaiah 66 way of mothering. Nancy Campbell
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End note-No mention is made about the benefits of demand nursing and natural baby spacing. It really does work if you know one important thing: You don't want your baby to sleep through the night! It's not that bad though if your baby co-sleeps and just nurses when he needs too. You learn to nurse in your sleep and I actually get more sleep this way then if i have to get out of bed to nurse. Click on the labels to the right for Breastfeeding, Natural Baby Spacing or Birth Control if you want to know more about how this works!~G

Another Above Rubies Jewel

THE HATED WORD

Psalm 104:24, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."

Filled. It doesn't sound such a bad word, does it? I wonder why so many people hate it. It's strange that so many Christians hate it when God loves it! In fact, this word describes who God is. He fills the heavens and the earth. He fills all in all--and Jesus is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. The whole earth is full of His glory. He is filled with majesty, filled with righteousness, filled with compassion. He does not have these attributes in a little measure but is filled with them.

God does not take long to introduce this word to us. He uses it in the very first chapter of the Bible.

Genesis 1:28, "And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it'..." It is interesting that the very first words that God spoke to man included the word fill. It is obviously very much part of God's heart. He loves abundance.

After God destroyed mankind through the flood, apart from Noah and his family, He repeated the same command again. This time He repeated it twice. Genesis 9:1 and v. 7, "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'..."

The Hebrew word is male which means "fill to overflowing". Many take objection to God's command today. They certainly don't want to fill their families to overflowing. They would rather fill their homes with "stuff"--more gadgets, more furniture, bigger TVs and computers.

Yet it seems that every time God speaks about children, He uses this despised word.

When Jacob and his family went down to Egypt there were only 70 of them. Four hundred years later they emerged a mighty nation.

Exodus 7:7 says, "The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." They became "more and mightier" than the Egyptians who began to fear them. Their fear turned to persecuting them and making them slaves. But the more the Egyptians afflicted them the more they multiplied. This is God's purpose for His people. He wants them to fill the earth with His glory--His love, peace, truth and salvation.

Numbers 14:21 says, "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." This is not talking about creation, but God's people who bear His image in the earth. God wants this earth to be filled with His image. God wants His land to be "filled with flocks of men." (Ezekiel 36:38, Psalm 80:8-9)

God's picture of a blessed family is one filled with children. Once again it is this detested word. Society is brainwashed to think differently than God thinks. And of course, we think that we know better than God. But what does He say? "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:4-5)

The parents who have their quiver full are happy! Actually, the Hebrew word in this Scripture is a double word which should be translated, "happy, happy". The parents who have their quiver full will not be ashamed. The parents who have their quiver full will have children who know how to speak against the evil things in the land, even in high places. The gate in Bible days was the civic center of the town, the place of administration of justice.

Zechariah 8:4-5 is one of my favorite Scriptures. It is a picture of what Jerusalem will be like when God dwells there. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." What a beautiful picture of children playing while the old people walk the city streets with their canes and watch the children in the city squares. And do you notice that there are not a few children playing? The streets are filled with boys and girls. How God delights to see them playing together.

Here's one more Scripture. Luke 14:23 says, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." God loves to have a full house. It's part of His character. If we have God's heart, we'll want to have a full house too.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, I pray that you will change my heart. Save me from from thinking miserly, but help me to think like you think. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I'm filling my home with God's blessings.

This is Our Road

As I was washing dishes in the kitchen yesterday and listening to a cd, a song came on that I've heard many times. I love how the Lord does this; I can hear a song 50 times and each time he reveals something new to me. It's always something i need to hear just at that moment, but that same thing didn't mean anything two days before when i heard it.

Well yesterday it was this..."This is Our Road" (from a cd by Serene and Pearl from Above Rubies, titled the same, about marriage. They have several wonderful cd's for mothers and a new one for fathers). A light bulb went off in my mind! The past 6 months have been a time of soul searching, stretching, humbling, and growing for me. Who am I..as a wife, mother, friend, child of God, stranger in public? Am I being who God made me to be or trying to be like someone else? Most of it has not been fun, pleasant, or pretty for myself or others close to me. But, I now feel that i am on the other side and the words, "this is our road" sums it all up. Our road is different from yours and that's ok!

I will explain all that, but just so you know, this is a very humbling thing for me. To share something so personal and even ugly in my personality I wouldn't have even dreamed about a year ago. Pride wouldn't let me. But i am not the same person, thankfully, and the Lord is using even this to help me change. I want to be real to all who read this and know me. I would never want anyone to look at me and my family and think that we have got it all together because we don't! No one does! We fail, sin, and mess up all of the time just like everyone else. Thankfully we have a God that forgives and moves us forward on our road!

Back to my story-

Back in the Fall, while we were at my in-laws, there happened to be a Duggar Family marathon, you know the family with 18 children in Arkansas, on cable (we don't have cable so this was fun for me!). Now large families are not new to me, although 18 is way past what I know, but i am used to the idea of a large family. Even they way they do things is not new, like how they organize their home, feed everyone, do laundry, drive a big van (bus), even they way they dress. Light Bulb!(in my mind), the way they dress. The long skirts, long hair, simple shirts, very modest. I totally can see myself and my daughters looking like them. But then i noticed the dad and boys. They dressed in nice khakies or pants with polo or button down shirts, always tucked in with a belt, lace up shoes, etc. That is not at all who my husband is or will ever be like! So this was the beginning of what the Lord had to teach me. Our conversation went something like this in my mind:

"Are you trying to be like someone else?"

"Whoa Lord, I thought you wanted me to be this way, dress how all these other women dress, act the way they act, train my children their way..."

"Who are you?"

"I am 'trying' to be a godly christian woman like many other godly christian women I know."

"Who did I make you to be?

"A wife and mother."

"To whom?"

"Kenneth and my children."

"I gave you a husband to be the head of your family. I choose him just for you and your children. Follow him! Don't look to other women, men, or even families. I have a plan for them and a different plan for you. Don't try to be something I didn't ever intend for you to be."

"Lord, show me who you made me and my family to be!"

The next 6 months were just that! He has shown and is still showing me who I am supposed to be. I have really learned to let go of comparing myself and my family to others. Not that that is always bad. I do think we need to have good examples to strive for, but when you are trying and trying to make something out of nothing and make it look like so and so, all you wind up with is frustration! Be real, be who God made you to be!

What i realized is that I was trying to make our family look a certain way and that's not really who we are. I really don't like wearing floor length skirts but i did it because that's what I thought godly christian women should do. But my husband never said he wanted me to or that he even liked or didn't like them. I just did it. When I finally asked him, he did have an opinion. He likes a more fitted style, not loose on my hips and shorter. I do still like and wear skirts but i love the mid calf length and more of a bohemian style. I also wear capri pants and jeans from time to time. It's all ok!

I really think I was wanting our family to appear to be the ipitomy of a christian, homeschool family. But we are not! I have tried my hardest to make us appear quiet, well behaved, and respectable looking family, but we are not always. That's not how God wired us. We are a loud family, my children don't always behave, they fight and bicker and sometimes it drives me crazy, sometimes i lose my temper and yell at them, sometimes we eat horrible, non organic food and like it! (yikes), a lot of times i make decisions for our family and never give my husband a chance to be the spiritual leader. The list goes on and on...but i know now not to be ashamed or embarrased of who we are because we are different and that's ok! Of course there are some things that we need to change, but right now, this is our road!

You may dress one way and me another, that's ok. You may discipline your children one way and me another, that's ok. You may bottle feed your baby and me breastfeed, that's ok! You may send your children to public school and me homeschool, that's ok too! As long as we are both seeking the Lord and listening to the guidance of our own husband, it does not matter how we do things, only that we are obeying the Lord!

But on the other hand, for example, if you or I dress one way, but our husband doesn't like it, that's not ok. If you or I are disciplining our children one way, but it's not Biblical, it's not ok! If you or I are reading books or watching programs that make us covet the way other families look, it's not ok! One thing i've learned, is to ask my husband. If there is something I am struggling with in my heart or mind, if i just present it to my hubbie, the problem is solved. He usually has an opinion about it and if not, he gives me his blessing to seek out someone elses opinion. But when I read something and decide that I am just going to change how we do things, it doesn't go over as well.

Another thing the Lord has changed, or is still changing in me, is pride. Now i don't think of myself as a prideful person but what i discovered is that appearing to not need any one else or their help, is a form of pride. I have never asked people for help. When they do offer it, i turn it down because i have never wanted to inconvienience them. I have never felt worthy of needing others help; i should be able to do it all on my own. Right? Wrong as the Lord has shown me. My whole life I have put up a very thick wall around my heart and emotions, very rarely letting anyone penetrate it. Only those who beat down that wall have found a place in my heart. I push everyone else away so they can't hurt me. But what the Lord has shown me is that people can't truly help me if they don't know me and how to help me. If i never share my heartaches, frustrations, and concerns, then i can't expect them to be there for me when i really need them. My sensitivities and hurt feeling always get in the way of true friendships. I have had to learn to let go of those and let my guard down and assume that people are real in their affections towards me, most of the time.

Through all of this life changing experience, I have also just come out of a dry season with the Lord. A time of complacency and ignorance as far as my relationship with God. I got busy with life and just kind of forgot to kindle our relationship. I always hate when this happens but know it's all my fault. I think i can get through life with out him and just slide from one day to the next without much thought or care. Forget to pray continuously, forget to speak tenderly to my children, forget to love the way Jesus loves, forget to read my Bible...and end up lost and lonely!

I love the Ross King song that says something like this, "break up your unplowed grounds, have you so soon forgotten me, lay all your idols down, and return to me." He talks about Hosea and Isaiah and how they also went through these times and what the Lord told them using the analogy of unplowed ground that needs tending to. Look those up sometime. I love the Lord! I don't want to forget him, even for a time. It's not a good place to be. The ground of my heart (and yours) has to always be plowed and planted and tended to if I want anything to grow. Complacency is where satan wants us to be, then he doesn't have to work so hard. I prefer to keep him running!

(If you've never heard of Ross King, he's local, I can't tell you how amazing his music is. The Lord uses most of his songs to teach me lots of things. You will not be disappointed with his cd's. Some are praise and worship and others about life. I have all of them and play them regularly in our home and car. http://www.rosskingmusic.com/ Click on the letters with boxes : )

I have come to be happy with "our road", the one the Lord has us on. It's actually very freeing to not be under the bondage of fitting into a certain mold, whether it be a homeschool mom, soccer mom, christian mom, or Oprah mom, etc. I actually find myself breathing a sigh of relief when i remember that i don't have to perform anymore or ask my children or husband to either! Be who God made you to be and your marriage/family to be. Don't try to be someone else; BE REAL!

So everytime I catch myself thinking, "why don't my children act like them," "why doesn't he do this like him," "why can't i keep it all together like her" the Lord gently reminds me that we are not them! We are unique in our makeup as a family, the way God made us.

Thank you Lord for grace!

WHAT KIND OF CHILDREN?

I have read studies that say at the rate Christian's are producing children in our culture today, our religion will die out within so many generations (I can't remember the number). In contrast to that, Muslim is the #1 fastest growing religion. The reason their religion is growing so much is not because of evangelism but because they have an average of 6 children per family who are then going on to produce many more Muslims. The average "christian American" family has the same number of children as non-christian Americans, which is around 2. Why is this? Why don't we look different than our culture? The easiest and most obvious way to advance the kingdom of God is to produce godly offspring. If we as Christians will quit trying to control our every decision in life, including when and how many children we have, then God can use us for his glory. Isn't that what we are on this earth for? The first commandment (dubbed The Genesis Charge) the Lord gives us in the bible is, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replinish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Genesis 1:27-28 Why is it that we feel compelled to obey all of God's other commandments but overlook or ignore this one, the 1st one (study the bible to learn more about God's Laws of First and their importance)! This commandment does apply to each and every person who is married and follows the Lord. And we don't just have to accomplish this with blood offspring, there are many children who need a godly family to adopt them. So, are you doing your part to replinish the earth with godly offspring?

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By Nancy Campbell - Above Rubies

Malachi 2:15 RSV, "Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel."

God reveals His heart about marriage in the above Scripture. He wants the wife and husband to be one. He wants them to be faithful to one another. He does not want them to be divorced. And He makes His reason for saying this very clear. The disruption of marriage tampers with the godly offspring. The thing that God looks for in marriage more than anything else is godly children. This is His heart's desire. He looks eagerly for the coming children. This is His plan for marriage.

It is the nature of God to want children in His image. And because we were made in the likeness and image of God, it is inherent in mankind to want to have children in our image. We long to see who they will be like. And yet we now live in a distorted age. Couples have been so brainwashed by humanist deception that they often refuse to have children, or at least limit how many they have. They live counter-culture to God's kingdom and to their own instinctive design. While they live to their own desires, God waits with patience to see children born in His image. Grandparents wait to continue the godly dynasty.

Each new precious baby is created in the image of God and He wants His image multiplied in the earth.

But even more challenging is that it is not just offspring that God looks for. No, it is godly offspring. The margin in my Bible says, "the seed of God." What kind of children are the seed of God? It is even more challenging again when we find that the Hebrew word is elohim. As you know, the name Elohim is one of the names of God, the first name that God introduces himself to us in Genesis 1:1. This is only one name of God and it occurs 2,570 times in the Bible.

Elohim is used 35 times in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4 revealing God's creative and governing power. He created this vast universe by His spoken word. Elohim is the one who brought "cosmos out of chaos, light out of darkness, habitation out of desolation, and life in His image." (Nathan Stone) Because we are created in His image, we also have the ability to create. God has put into our mouths the power of the spoken word. We can minister life or death by our tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) God wants us (and each new babe that is born) to create and speak for His kingdom and His glory. He wants the godly offspring to fill the earth with His words, His truth and His character.

Elohim also reveals God as a covenant keeping God. There are many Scriptures revealing this but here are a few.
Genesis 17:7, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God (Elohim) unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

Genesis 9:15-17, "And I will remember my covenant... And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature..."

On Joseph's death bed he said, "God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:24)

When Solomon dedicated the temple he prayed, "There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart." (1 Kings 8:23)

Elohim is a covenant-keeping God. He wants us to also manifest covenant keeping. This is how we reveal the image of Elohim. He wants each godly offspring to be a covenant-keeper. It is interesting that God talks about the godly seed coming forth in the context of a covenant keeping marriage. Malachi 2:14 RSV says, "The Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."

It is not having lots of children that will solve the world's problems. It is having godly children who will impact the nations for God. May God enable us to welcome the godly seed and train them to truly reveal the character of Elohim. There is no career that can come anywhere the enormity and power of this vision.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God, please help me to be a faithful covenant-keeper and to train my children to be the same."

AFFIRMATION:

I have the awesome privilege to raise the "seed of God."

Above Rubies-Home Destroyers (2a)

HOME DESTROYERS
Part 2a

Jeremiah 4:22 RSV, "For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children, they have no understanding."

Today we continue talking about things that destroy the home.

2. FOOLISHNESS

Proverbs 14:1, "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish plucks it down with her hands."

What does it mean to be foolish? Simply, it means to do it my way rather than God's way. God's way, although different to my way always ends in blessing. My way, although it may look good, always ends in destruction.

If we are not building our home, we are pulling it down. How do we pull it down?

We pull it down by vacating the home. God wants the mother in the home--nurturing, nourishing and training her children. We can't do everything successfully. We either build up a business (usually someone else's business) or we build up our home. God has given us a full time job to tend our little flock. God gives a warning to the mother shepherdess when He says in Zechariah 11:17, "Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock!" Notice that this Scripture has an exclamation mark!

We pull it down by our words. Negative words. Critical words. Reactive words. Spiteful words. Angry words. And on it goes.

We build our home with words or
we destroy our home with words!

When God allowed Satan to get at his servant Job, he smote him with terrible boils from the top of his head to the sole of his feet Job was in agony and pain. Instead of encouraging him, Job's wife said, "Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die." Job replied, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:9-10)

Do you speak as one of the foolish women, or one of the wise?

Sometimes it may not be negative words. It may be wasteful words. Proverbs 15:2 says, "The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness." Often we speak unnecessary words when we should keep out mouths shut. I am always challenged by Proverbs 10:19, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." The more we blab on about anything and everything, the more opportunity there is to sin with our mouth. The NLT makes it clearer, "Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!"

We pull it down by spending frivolously and unwisely. The foolish woman buys according to her whims and what takes her fancy. She buys groceries without thought for nutrition or without reading the ingredients. She fills her cupboards with devitalized packaged foods instead of cooking from scratch. She purchases unnecessary "things" to fill her home which could be used for wiser needs.

Proverbs 21:20 says, "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man (or woman) spendeth it up." The foolish woman spends more than her husband can afford. The wise woman lives frugally within her means. I often have to remind my new adopted daughters that we don't have to eat what we want whenever we want. We must learn to live thriftily rather than extravagantly.

We pull it down by wasting. Many women not only waste time but waste products. They throw out everything. It is not wise to be a hoarder and clutter up your home, but there are many things that can be re-used to save re-spending.

Many mothers allow their children to pick at their food and leave it on their plate without teaching them to eat what is in front of them. Good food is thrown in the trash. This is wasteful.

May God deliver us from being in the "foolish women category" that pulls down their home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Father, please touch my lips with coals from off the altar. I don't want to speak negative words. Fill my mouth with encouraging and life-giving words that will build up my husband and my children. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

Building up my home with uplifting words,
To do anything else is utterly absurd!

Children are a Gift from the Lord!

Wow- I am again so blessed by what Nancy Campbell has to say. Even though we only have 4 children I get the many of the questions she lists below all the time. My favorite response to "You have your hands full" is "I'd rather have them full than empty!" This usually catches most people off guard and they respond "I guess you're right."

It's always my goal to have strangers look at us and ask themselves "what is different about them?" Oh, they may think we look different, dress different, act different....but hopefully what lingers in their mind is that something is different, and that is my point! We are called to be different from our culture. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." We are to purposely be different. When we dress like everyone one else, how can they see Christ in our lives. Unfortunately today, the way women dress is very unmodest and masculine. We have to look different from them. For me, that means wearing a longer skirt and not too tight shirt. It may be something else for you, but either way, we must not copy the worldly way of dressing. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says this about the way women dress, "I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do."
There are many more areas that we can purposely look different from this world. Ask the Lord to show you the areas you may need to change and he will!

I love this quote from Evangeline Howard, who just happens to be one of Mrs. Campbells daughters.
"Freedom mothering...it's not about getting out of it, it's about getting into it! Taking the world for Christ one birth at a time!"

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DISARMING THE GAINSAYERS

Zechariah 8:12 (NLT), "I believe, therefore have I spoken."


"Who am I? Have you sighed these words on your difficult mothering days?

It's a good question, for if you don't know who you are, you will flounder in life. Fortunately, it's not a hard question to answer. God created you uniquely, like nobody else on earth, with special gifts that no one else has. But, transcendentally, you are a mother. You have an inborn urge to nurture. If you don't want to mother children, you will find yourself mothering something else, maybe your pet dog or cat. It is distinctive to us as females.

God created you with a womb and with breasts to nurture and nourish life. Why not embrace who you are? Be the best at who God created you to be instead of running from it. Start enjoying it. Disarm the feminists! Disown the lies! Destroy the deceptions and delight in motherhood.

How? By exploding with joy. You have the privilege of bringing children into the world for God's purposes, children who will live forever. By telling the world you are proud to be a mother. Away with inferiority that's a lie! Away with feeling insignificant; that's not true! Away with the thoughts that you were called to do something more important; that's a humanistic lie!

Next time someone asks you what you do in life, beam with joy and shout, "I am a mother! I have the most blessed career in the world."

The next time someone sees you with all your children in tow and asks, "Are all these yours?" put on a bigger smile, from ear to ear, and shout, "Yes, I am so blessed." Or, "Yes, we love children so much we are hoping for more." Or, "Yes, we're just getting started!"

Or you could even say, "Yes, they are. But where are your children?"

"Oh, they're' at school. We could only afford to have two."

"How very sad," you reply. "You must often feel bored and lonely. We live such a full and exciting life." Give another beaming smile and leave them speechless, ready to disarm the next person who makes a negative comment.

Going out with all your children will become such fun. It will be even more exciting as you train your children for adverse comments about family. When you have answered your critic, the children can also put on their beaming smiles and all say in unison, "God bless you, Madam."

What if someone says, "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO STOP HAVING CHILDREN?" Or "Are you planning to have any more?"
\
With a smile and twinkle in your eyes, you could answer, "It's conceivable."

What if some dear soul comments, "You have your hands full."

"We're working on it," you reply. "We are blessed with five; only five more to go!"

Put your shoulders back. Lift up your head. Put a big smile on your face and disarm the anti-child advocates. You'll begin to change the world around you! You'll be speaking on the behalf of God who loves life and loves children. You'll be destroying the deceptions of Satan who hates life and seeks to destroy it.

What a mission. Have fun.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"I thank you, Lord, that you created me to be a mother. Help me to shine with your glory and lift up your truth wherever I go."

House of the Lord

Another Nancy Campbell post-be encouraged!

ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE

Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."

David longed for the "House of the Lord." It was his favorite place to be. But David could not be in the house of the Lord continually, as much as he longed to. He was king of a nation. He had battles to fight; administration to attend to. But dear mother, we have the opportunity to live David's longing. Let me explain.

The house of the Lord is no longer one temple as it was in David's day. It is not even a church building where we attend on Sundays or Saturdays today. The house of the Lord speaks of His presence. God wants your home to be His house where His presence dwells; a place where you abide in Him and He abides in you. The house of the Lord is abiding fellowship with Christ. The house of the Lord is your kitchen where you prepare the meals; the house of the Lord is your dining table where you feed your family and make every meal a love affair; the house of the Lord is any room in the home where you are working or interacting with your children.

In your home you can behold the beauty of the Lord. As you abide in Him and look to Him, He will impart His grace to you in your time of need. He will show you that He is the God who is Enough for every challenge and every situation. He is with you, in your home, and will never leave you or forsake you. No, not even when everything seems overwhelming and you feel like tearing your hair out! You are still in the house of the Lord at this moment. Instead of despairing about the situation, stop for a moment and realize that God is with you. He has promised that He will not fail you. Thank Him that He is with you. Thank Him that He cannot fail you.

In your home you can inquire in His temple. David had to go God's temple to inquire of the Lord. He faced battles, enemies and challenges; He needed God's discernment, wisdom and strength. You also long for God's wisdom. You are desperate to know what to do. You cannot go on without His strength. Praise the Lord, you don't have to get into your car and rush off to a church building. You are in the house of the Lord right now. You can inquire in His temple right now. He will give you His wisdom. He has promised, remember.

All you have to do is abide--that literally means to live in His presence. It means to acknowledge that Christ is living within you and that you are in Him. You are inseparable. You are one. He is your life source. You can't live without Him (well, I can't anyway!). Your own strength wains; you need His. Your wisdom is human; you need His divine wisdom. Your love runs out the door; you need His agape love. You are depressed and down in the dumps; His joy does not depend on how you feel. You feel your life is worthless; you can only bear fruit to bless your family and touch other lives as you abide.

John 15:4-5 says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me can do nothing." There it is. The secret to living in the house of the Lord all the days of your life.

How I love those words... "all the days of my life." It doesn't matter what my day is like, God is with me. It doesn't matter whether I think God has left me; He is bigger than my thoughts. My thoughts deceive but God doesn't change.

See your home in a new light. It is the house of the Lord. You can live in it all the days of your life.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Thank you, Lord, for showing me that my home is the house of the Lord. Help me to enjoy my home in a new way. Thank you that I don't have to visit the house of the Lord. I live in it! Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am not a visitor but a dweller in the house of the Lord.

SCRIPTURES REFERRED TO IN THIS DEVOTION:
Look up Isaiah 41: 10, 13; Hebrews 13:5-6; James 1:5-8.

More Sowing Seeds of Peace

Here is Part 3 of SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE from Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies. May you once again be encouraged in your walk with the Lord!
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Psalm 34:14, "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." (1 Peter 3:11)

Nothing in this life happens by chance. What we sow we reap. It is an eternal principle. I love what Henry Drummond says, "The Christian life is not casual but causal." To live in peace, we must sow seeds of peace. Jesus said,"Blessed are the peace-makers..." Peace doesn't just happen; we have to make it happen.

Let's look at a few more today.

Love Righteousness

Psalm 85:10 says, "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." You can't have peace without righteousness. They are inseparable. But righteousness is more than turning away from evil. It is doing righteous deeds. Righteousness is not stagnant. It is alive. It is revealed in your facial features as you smile at your family and speak positive things; it comes out your fingertips as you work and toil for the blessing of your family or hug and embrace your children; it shows itself as you walk to do good deeds for your family and others.

We see this in Isaiah 32:17, "The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever." Do you notice that righteousness is a work? And do you notice the cause and effect? The effect is peace!

This following verse says, "And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." If we want peace in our home we must sow seeds of righteousness. That will mean saying No to certain TV programs, DVDs and websites. It will mean taking a stand against the spirit of the world entering your home. Peace does not come by compromise or even by feeling good. Sometimes people equate peace with calm. Anyone can have peace when everything is going perfect. True peace rests on a foundation of righteousness. (Hosea 10:12)

Seek Reconciliation

You cannot have peace if you have estranged relationships. To enjoy peace you must seek healing and restoration. Sow seeds of reconciliation. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. You won't have peace unto you do. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Forget your Worries

Ephesians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." In other words, don't worry about anything! Easier said than done! But if we want peace in our hearts and homes it is habit we must practice.

Each time you face another problem, instead of worrying, choose to turn it over to the Lord. Look to the Lord rather than your circumstances. It takes a while to get into this habit, but it will change your life. You can then walk in peace even in the midst of the storm.

My favorite Scripture, a special one for mothers, is found in Isaiah 26:3-4, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." When we sow the habit of bringing our thought life to the Lord, we will have peace. Not only peace, but perfect peace. It is actually a double word in the Hebrew meaning, peace, peace!


Husband/Wife Unity

Sow unity in your marriage relationship. If you don't have unity together, you won't have peace in your heart or home. And nor will your children know peace. When there is estrangement between you and your husband, the children will feel the brunt of it. Once again, you have to sow the seeds. It won't just happen. Realize the truth that God has made you one--not two, but one! Sow seeds to make this oneness a reality. Say Sorry. Forgive. Swallow your pride. Humble yourself. Shut your mouth. Speak soft words. Submit for your own blessing. As you sown these seeds, you'll reap peace.

Order your home

It is difficult to have peace when you live in a mess. 1 Timothy 5:14 tells us that the young women are to "guide the house." This phrase is translated from the Greek word, oikodespoteo, coming from two words: oikos - home, and despotace - master. God has given you the responsibility to manage your home--to keep it in order and running smoothly. Don't forget the principle of cause and effect. If you want peace, do things that will bring order and peace.

Declutter your home

If you have clutter everywhere, if your dishes and laundry are piling up, you will not be able to think straight. Order brings serenity. Sow seeds for a harvest of peace by de-cluttering your home. If you have loads of junk it can be daunting to start on this venture. Take one room at a time. Be ruthless. Get rid of everything you don't need. Purge. The more you eradicate, the more serenity will come to your soul.

Keep sowing your seeds of peace daily and your harvest time will come.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, thank you for reminding me that you want me to make peace. Help to be a peace-maker! As I sow seeds of peace, you will bring the wonderful harvest. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

Peace-making is my job today!

Sowing Seeds of Peace

Seems like every time I read these emails, they are so convicting and worth sharing. Visit Above Rubies (links) for more!

Discipline for Peace

This doesn't sound very peaceful, does it? We often think that if we rock the boat we won't have peace! But the opposite is true. Discipline precedes peace! Read that again. Yes, discipline precedes peace! If your children are playing up, disobeying, being defiant and causing havoc in the home, you won't have any peace. To get peace, you must deal with the disobedience or bad behavior.

One of my favorite Scriptures for parenting is Proverbs 29:17, "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."

Do you want rest and peace in your home? Don't gloss over disobedience. Deal with the issues. Sow loving but firm discipline for disobedient behavior and you will reap a reward of rest. Many parents have no rest. Their children are a constant hassle to them because they have not been trained. They constantly yell at them but their behavior doesn't change.

It is a joy to watch parents who live a life of rest. I think of my daughter, Evangeline, who has nine children. Her husband, Howard and she have trained their children to respond with instant obedience from the time they were very little. They have never allowed disobedience or defiant behavior. They dealt with it immediately. They have reaped a wonderful reward of rest. Their children, aged from 15 years to 16 months are extraordinarily behaved. They give delight to their parents and everyone who is around them. They can take them anywhere and trust their behavior. Evangeline lives a life of a queen for her children give her no bother.

Hebrews 12:11 reiterates this, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

I was quite taken aback when reading Romans 16:20 recently, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." You would think that when it speaks of God defeating the devil that He would be referred to as the God or War or the Lord of hosts (which is the Lord of the armies of heaven). It will not be a peaceful task to conquer Satan. It will be war and blood and tears. But, no. He is called the God of peace. I am sure this is because there can never be true peace while evil reigns and therefore it is the God of peace who wages war to bring peace.

If you have to have a little war before you have peace, don't be afraid. Covering over things will not bring peace. It is like a festering sore that will not heal until it is totally cleansed.

Keep sowing seeds of peace.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

Encouragement for Mothers!

If you still have not checked out Above Rubies and requested a free magazine subscription, i encourage you to do it!! I have a link on the right side. You will not be disappointed. I am always so blessed and encouraged every time i read the magazine or the emails. Here is the most recent email Nancy Campbell sent out. I hope you are blessed and encouraged too!

HOLD ON TO YOUR CROWN

Revelation 3:11, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

When God appeared to Moses as I AM THAT I AM out in the backside of the desert, He commissioned him to deliver the Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt . But Moses was fearful to take on such a task. He had no strength of his own to accomplish it. God then said to him, "What is that in thine hand, Moses?" (Exodus 4:2).

What was in his hand? A shepherd's rod. Nothing fancy. Nothing powerful. Just a simple rod he used each day to guide, prod and protect his flock. God took that plain shepherd's rod and made it a mighty weapon in Moses' hand. Whenever he stretched forth the rod mighty miracles happened. It released the plagues upon the Egyptians. It showed forth God's mighty power.

Sometimes you wonder what you are doing in your home. Your friends have high-powered careers and are raking in the money. You are trying to make ends meet from day to day. Your family remind you that you are wasting your life and your education.

But what is in your hand? It is the rod of motherhood. It may look insignificant, as Moses' rod did, but it wields a mighty power. Motherhood is the most powerful career in the nation. As a mother, you determine the course of the nation. You are in God's hands preparing your children for the purposes God has laid out for them before the foundation of the world. This is a top notch job. It is high powered!

Mothering is your crown. It has been invested in you by God himself. It is your anointing of womanhood. It is your authority. Do not take off your beautiful crown of motherhood to allow someone else to mother the children God has given you. Never let your crown go. Hold on to it. Lift your head high and be proud of your divine calling.

You may be going through circumstances that cause you to feel like giving up. You feel an utter failure. This mothering business is not working out. Your children are giving you heartache. Do not give up. Do not take off your crown. Rise up in the anointing and authority that God has given you as a mother. Do not let your circumstances rob you of your crown.

Do not let other people rob you either. Do you notice that this Scripture says that man will try to take it from you? Those who are ignorant of God's heart for children will speak negative things into your life. Those who are deceived by this world's philosophy will try to lure you away from your high calling. Do not be swayed by what people say. Do not let them take your crown. Hold on to it tightly.

Do not for a moment be intimidated by your antagonists! (Philippians 1:28)

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, I thank you that you have given me the crown of mothering. Help me to see that it is a crown to wear and be proud of. When I wear this crown I am walking in your perfect will. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

Mothering is a crown I wear with dignity.