Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Job 39:24: “He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage.” This describes the warhorse speeding along, motivated by anger and rage. I think the terminology used here of “swallowing the ground” means that the distance between him and the target is quickly diminished by the adrenalin rush, the righteous indignation and fierce rage that possesses the spirit of the warhorse.

Politically speaking, we now live in a world where all anger and rage are regarded as evil. Tolerance is the politically correct attitude toward all evil. No one is allowed to be angry at evil. As a result, western nations have become “milk toast” and mushy.

We are taught that civilized people should never get angry at anything, let alone evil. We are told we must take our time in the face of evil and must never rush to identify the target in case we hit the wrong one. We are told that our war planes cannot drop bombs on ISIS in case there are innocent civilians in the building, in the oil tanker or truck, etc. The rules of engaging the enemy have now become so feminized and emasculated that we can no longer win a war.

In the meantime the enemy punches us right between the eyes and scoffs at our so-called tolerant and sissy behavior. There are too many progressive, socialist, educators both within the church and the nation who want to destroy and take away our manhood. They want to take away our guns and fighting spirit. They want to turn us into a bunch of jelly fish wimps.

We see a different spirit in David. 1 Samuel 17:45-47 states: “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.”

Verse 48 tells us : “And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David HASTED, AND RAN toward the army to meet the Philistine.” In the face of great danger, David is filled with the same spirit of Job’s battle horse. He ran towards the enemy.

As believers, we are called to do battle with God’s enemies. We are to be “slow to anger” with one another, but never with the devil. We should not drag our feet to man the battle stations, the prayer meetings, where we fight it out with the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle (hand to hand combat) not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

May God hasten our steps to run to the prayer meetings where we can start slinging our stones at the Lord’s enemies. It’s high time for us who dare to call ourselves Christians to get really mad at the devil, and not at each other. Tolerance can only be towards each other as brethren, but not towards sin or the powers that tempt us to sin.

We need to be clothed with the zeal of the Lord, the same zeal that caused Jesus to cast out the money changers in the temple (John 2:15-17). It’s high time we 21st century Christians cast off this wimpy tolerance toward evil and become eaten up by the same zeal for God’s house that Jesus had.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Job 39:23: “The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.”

The church must wake up to the battle that, never for a single day, ceases to rage against the cause of Christ. Every born again believer, without exception, must quickly come to the realization that they have a divine calling upon their lives to fight, resist, and stand solidly against the armies of hell.

We must clearly understand that we have not been purchased by the redeeming precious blood of Christ to have an easy life of self-pleasing and catering to the desires of our flesh while the enemy tears our nation’s morality to shreds.

How is it possible for us to not stand up and resist the ever-increasing holocaust of abortion, abuse of alcohol, drugs, marriage and family breakdown, sexual abuse within the church, let alone resisting it in the world which is outside the church. It will only get worse until we, the true church, rise up and mount our own white battle horses. We must willingly follow our Commander in Chief, The Lord Jesus Christ, who has already mounted His white horse and leads the charge against the enemy.

It’s time to get rattled by the rattling quivers. God’s warhorse gets rattled (yes, angry) at the sound of the enemy’s rattling quivers. King David was rattled (angry and indignant) at the arrogancy and mockery of the Philistine giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:41-47).

David says in verses 45-46: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee: and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth: that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

Jesus Himself was rattled (righteously indignant) as the quivers of the devil rattled against him with the buying and selling in the temple (John 2:13-17).

What’s it going to take to get the sleeping church righteously angry at the enemy? Has our present leadership in Washington DC not rattled our cages enough? When will we say, “Enough is enough”?

Are we tempted right now to elect an immoral, compromising president who will lead the country into more immorality and sin? Are we not rattled enough to bust out of our cages and elect a president who will stand up against abortion, same-sex marriage, and all the evils of our times?

But that is just the beginning. The riders of God’s battle horses realize that the battle is only won through prayer and daily intercession. Yes, it is time to get mad at the devil who cleverly sucks us into lethargy, sin, and deception. In Ephesians 6:11-18 Paul exhorts us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (v. 11).

And he gives reasons why:

1. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (v. 12).

2. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (v. 18).

Only when we do these two things can we effectively ride the white horse of Revelation 19:11 and follow our Commander in chief into battle.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

We continue studying the characteristics of the warhorse.

Job 39:22: “Neither turneth he back from the sword.”

Job’s description of the warhorse states that it will never turn back from the sword. Though swords flash all around it, it still charges forward. There is not an atom of retreat in God’s warhorse.

There is no retreating in God’s service. God’s warhorses always charge onward. “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war” is a mockery to a retreating church.

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

Such a magnificent song should never be sung by those who have no understanding of spiritual warfare.

Song of Solomon 6, 10 describes the church as “Terrible (majestic, inspiring) as an army with banners.” These banners display the declaration of God’s truths which are an awesome sight to behold. Psalm 60:4 says: “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”

In Revelation 19:11 the Commander in Chief of the church, Jesus Christ, rides a white warhorse. White represents purity and righteousness. Jesus Christ was called “Faithful and True” and all those who followed Him also rode white horses. Revelation 19:14 says: “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

They would never follow a Commander in Chief who made his reputation through building gambling casinos and all the sexual perversions that go with it. They would never follow a Commander in Chief whose wife posed herself nude for a pornographic magazine in Europe.

Men, we are in a great spiritual battle for the souls of the citizens of USA. We had better make sure the one we elect to follow as Commander in Chief is riding a pure white horse, as much as possible for an American president to ride.

He must be one who is faithful and true to his word--the testimony and character of one who is worthy to rule. He should not have a track record of flip-flopping on major issues of morality and justice. There should be no signs of retreat from the foundational truths on which our nation was founded.

I wonder, could it be that a people who lack moral backbone, who themselves flip-flop all over the place regarding morality, could easily elect a Commander in Chief who will hopefully amass them more money to follow more of their lusts?

I believe this is what we face in these coming elections. We must not retreat from the sword of our enemies. Never. But we will retreat if we as a nation, and as a church, do not take a strong stand for righteousness and truth. Righteous morality is the only thing that gives us backbone.

May we never be like the Ephraimites. Psalm 78:9-10 says: “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law.”

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Job 39:22: “He mocketh at fear and is not affrighted”

Proverbs 29:1 says, “The righteous are bold as a lion.” Just as the warhorse mocks at fear, even so we should mock at the enemy’s strategy to put fear upon us. Fear is debilitating. It paralyses the strongest of men. A physically small man that has no fear is stronger than a physically strong man who is full of fear.

Job 39:21: “He goeth on to meet the armed men.”

The warhorse is not afraid of confrontation. He expects it and willingly marches on to meet it. He knows that confrontation and battling it out with the enemy is what he was born for.

Immediately following Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Verse 2 says: “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights.” Spiritual warfare requires the discipline of the spirit and this is where prayer and fasting is very important.

6a. HIS STRENGTH continued.

Men, as the warhorse rejoiced in his strength, so we should rejoice in the One who gives us all the strength we need to not only fight in the battles, but also to win every battle.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Paul talks about the battle he continually faced which he described as a “messenger from Satan to buffet him.” He cried out to God three times to be delivered, but what did God answer? “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

6. HIS STRENGTH

Job 39:21: The warhorse “rejoiceth in his strength.”

How easy it is for us to be discouraged. We get discouraged especially when we become wearied by those we thought were for us and then find they were betraying us behind our backs. We get discouraged when our bodies become weak and lack endurance. We also get discouraged when the battle continues long and there seems to be no end in sight. It’s not good to think we are the only ones who have to go through these battles for they are common to man.

5. HIS PAWS

Job 39:21: “He paweth in the valley.”

When a horse paws, he is usually agitated because of being confined. He can’t wait to get going. The warhorse does not like to be hemmed in or stand around doing nothing. He was bred for war and all of war’s challenges.

Valleys are typical in Scripture of places of depression, stress, anxiety, and imprisonment. Valleys are places where you can’t see the sunrise or the sunset. Valleys are the places of limited horizons and long shadows. However, no matter how negative valleys can be, warhorses paw their hoofs in the valleys.

Isaiah 61:1-4 prophecies the anointing of the Spirit that was to come upon Jesus Christ in order to deliver the people who were down in the valleys, in the prisons, the broken-hearted, and the mourning. Jesus Christ was the greatest of all warhorses who was, and still is, more than eager to set the captives free.

Psalm 84:6 speaks of those who go into the Valley of Baca (weeping). As they pass through it they make it a well of the water of life and cause the rain of the Spirit to create pools of water for the thirsty.

Psalm 23:4 says: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will far no evil: for thou at with me.”

2 Chronicles 35:22 mentions the valley of Megiddo where many ancient battles were fought and where some believe that the Battle of Armageddon against Gog will be fought (Ezekiel 39:1-4).

The warhorse, Caleb pawed his hoofs as he looked up from the valley at Mount Hebron where the giants called Anakims lived. The cities were great and fenced with high walls. But Caleb the warhorse cried out “Give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:12). Joshua 14:10 reminds us that Caleb had been pawing his hoofs for the last 45 years, waiting to go and take that mountain. All mountains have valleys on their sides. When Caleb declared, “Give me this mountain” he also accepted the valleys that go with it.

We can go one better than Caleb who said, “Give me this mountain,” We can say, “Give me this valley also.”

The warhorse, Joshua pawed his hoofs in the Valley of Ajalon where he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still so the children of Israel could have a complete victory over the Amorites (Joshua 10:12-14).

Men, no matter what valleys we are in now or maybe in the future, the same eager spirit of the warhorse that gets into the fight to bring victory in the valleys can also come upon us. We can be possessed with the same Holy Spirit that caused Caleb to paw the ground with eagerness to take the dangerous and challenging mountain.

There may be all sorts of valleys ahead of us--perhaps economic valleys, Islamic terrorism valleys, or political valleys, etc. God is able to make us willing to conquer the valleys.

God calls His church to paw in the valleys. We paw in the spirit when we pray and intercede. Are you one who paws in prayer? Do you paw to get to the prayer meeting? You can’t wait to get there to fight the battles in prayer. This is the description of a true spiritual warhorse.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

4. HIS NOSTRILS

Job 39:30: “The glory of his nostrils is terrible.”

There is something awesome and terrible about the nostrils of the warhorse. He breathes through his nostrils the breath of life that gives him strength and stamina for the battle. Whether the battle be in the valley or on the mountain top his nostrils provide him with all the air he needs to not only carry himself, but also the rider and whatever load he has to carry. Though the valleys may be full of mud, bogs, and potholes, or the mountains dangerously steep, his nostrils do not fail to supply him with all the oxygen his strength requires to succeed.

We continue looking at the characteristics of the warhorse.

3. HIS FEARLESSNESS

Job 39:20 says: “Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?" Never. Perish the thought. Just as this warhorse is not afraid to go into battle, even so we who call ourselves soldiers of the cross should not be afraid to go into battles against spiritual enemies. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Today we begin to take a closer look at the warhorse.

1. HIS STRENGTH
“Hast thou given the horse strength?” (Job 39:19). The answer is yes. The warhorse’s strength comes from God in order to accomplish feats of great strength. Spiritually, God gives us all the strength we need through His Holy Spirit to accomplish things that our own strength could not accomplish.

The warhorse described in Job 39:19-25 certainly had the right attitude about battle. This horse was built and bred for speed, strength, and endurance of the horrors and demands of the battlefield. Most of us do not see ourselves as warhorses. We do not care to put ourselves in harm’s way. Our highest aspirations are for peace and tranquility. We usually prefer the easy road.

However, life is fraught with ups and downs, mountains and valleys. Many of the battles we face we wish we did not have to face and we wish they would just go away. But sadly that is not usually the case. Rather, they continue to dog us until we decide to take action and often we take the wrong action and make matters worse.

This is the beginning of the New Year. It’s good to be back with you. I wonder what 2016 has in store for each one of us. What challenges, battles, and difficulties will we face? How many will we win?

Those who are spiritually mature understand that our life here on this earth was never meant to be one big bed of roses. We were born for battle and we were born again in Christ Jesus to win the battle. Good and evil rages on and will continue until the end when every enemy will be crushed beneath the feet of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:25).

"God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23).

Nazareth was also a humble place. Nazareth means “separated or branch, possibly prophetic of Jesus.” Being warned by God in a dream, Joseph and Mary fled with baby Jesus to Egypt. After Herod died, they returned to Nazareth to live.

Mary was in Nazareth when the angel, Gabriel first announced to her that she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus the Christ (Luke 1:26). Joseph’s carpentry business was in Nazareth.

John 1:45, 46 tells us: “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” God delights to bring the very best out of the things that men regard as insignificant.

Bethlehem was a humble city. The word Bethlehem means “a place of bread and food.” Jesus confessed in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Micah 5:2 says: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Joseph was obviously a humble man. Matthew 1:18, 19 says: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost . Then Joseph her husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”

If Joseph had been a proud and arrogant man he may have made a public example of Mary which could have meant her death or at least tremendous public humiliation. However, he was a humble man, he loved Mary, and was not willing to publically humiliate her. Instead, he was prepared to annul the espousement, which among the Jews, was the only legal contract in the marriage. All legal documents were signed at this time although the couple had to wait to come together to be married. The only way for these contracts to be annulled was through a bill of divorce.

I care little for the government which presides at Washington, in comparison with the government which rules the millions of American homes. No administration can seriously harm us if our home life is pure, frugal, and godly. No statesmanship or legislation can save us, if once our homes become the abode of profligacy.

~ T. L. Cuyler

Mary and Joseph were very humble people. Mary mentions in her Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the LOW ESTATE of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).

God looked for humility when He chose Mary to be the mother to bring forth the Savior of the world. It was not the status of her family; not her social standing, not brilliant intellect, not her gift of singing or any other gift, not her good looks if she was so endowed, and nor her pleasant personality.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing.