Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

1. Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.

2. You may not simply transfer money into some other account.

3. You may only spend It.

4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day.

5. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time, it can say, "Game Over" and close the account! You will not receive a new one...

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?

You would try to spend every penny and use it all, because you knew it would be replenished in the morning, right?

Actually, this game is REAL. Shocked? Each of us is already a winner of this *PRIZE*, we just can't seem to see it!

The PRIZE is *TIME*

1. Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.

2. When we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is not credited to us.

3. What we haven't used up that day is forever lost.

4. Yesterday is forever gone.

5. Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING!

So, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds? Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

It is one thing to penetrate the mind with arrows of knowledge, but it is another thing to penetrate the heart of our enemies. We want arrows that convict hearts, so they will repent.

Peter preached the first evangelistic message to the crowd of Jews and people from many nations who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. What was the response after Peter’s message?

Acts 2:37 says: “Now when they heard this they were PRICKED IN THEIR HEART, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit was a sharp heart-pricking arrow. Before Pentecost, he was a blunt arrow who denied the Lord three times in a row.

We are surrounded with many people, that no matter what you say to persuade them, it makes no difference. They are impenetrable and hedonistic. Many in the leftist media have built up such barriers around their minds that it is almost impossible to reach their hearts. We must pray these barriers down so their hearts will be pricked by God’s sharp two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). However, the word must be spoken under the anointing and divine assistance of the Holy Spirit.

The opposite of sharpness is bluntness. One may be sharp intellectually but blunt spiritually. We must never put the academic above the spiritual. All of the Christian’s weapons of war are spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5). It’s only Spirit-controlled, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led Christians who can use them effectively.

After Stephen preached, Acts 7:54 says: “When they heard these things, they were CUT TO THE HEART, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

Stephen had been chosen as one of the early church’s first deacons because he met the qualifications of “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). His words cut to the heart. He was a Spirit-filled sharp arrow that caused a riot. Sharp arrows will cause a riot or a revival.

Parents, we must be spiritual and Spirit-filled, otherwise our children’s hearts will not be affected and cut open by the spiritual words we give them. We must also attend a Spirit-filled church where the leadership are Spirit-filled, where people’s lives are being changed, and where hearts are cut and pricked by the convicting preaching of God’s Word. And most of all, we must pray over our children that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Are any of God’s enemies being scattered because of my life?
Am I a threat to any of God’s enemies?
What am I doing right now that causes God’s enemies to be intimidated by me?
Do God’s enemies want to flee from me?
Does the devil have a problem with my life?
Is the devil’s kingdom being shaken up because of my life?

If not, why not?

One thing for sure, cruising, complacent, casual Christians are no real threat to the powers of darkness. Just as there are RINOs (Republicans in name only) in the Republican party, so there are many CHRINOs (Christians in name only) in the Christian camp.

As I listen to some of the conservative talk show hosts, who may not be truly born again, I can’t help but feel that they are more of a threat to the powers of evil than many born again Christians. Many of these hosts are engaging the enemies of righteousness head on. They are not afraid to get into the battle.

Are we going to resist or resign?

James 4;7: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” This Scripture teaches us that if we resist, the devil will flee. The word “flee” is very simple. It’s much the same as “scatter.”

Every Christian should be an active and daily resister of the devil.

Do the words “Resist the devil” have any place in our modern church mindset? The church is meant to be militant. Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” and He wants to do this through His people.

To resign means to give up a job or position or give back a commission. However, God’s arrows scatter God’s enemies wherever they find them. We do not resign our commission to resist the devil whenever we discover his evil doings.

If we resign, the devil will run us over and defeat us.

We resist the devil by praying and proclaiming. The Bible instructs us that after we have put on the armor of God to “Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Effective arrows resist the devil so that he will flee and scatter.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

1 Samuel 22:15: ‘He sent out his arrows and scattered them.”

Psalm 18:14 (CEB): “God shot his arrows, scattering the enemy; he sent the lightning and threw them into confusion.”

Psalm 68:1: “Let God arise, his enemies be scattered.”

God knows how to scatter his enemies. It is a sad thing when His own people become His enemies. Leviticus 26:33 says: “And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.” Many Scriptures tell us of God scattering His own people.

When God is angry, look out! Everything standing in opposition to Him will be scattered. The Scripture teaches that God is “slow to anger.” Psalm 103:8, 9 says: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever.”

However, the “year of the Lord” teaches us not to push the envelope too far. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

I believe God wants us as fathers and mothers to raise our children to be arrows that will scatter evil.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was an arrow to scatter evil. We read in Matthew 21:12: “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold land bought in the temple, and overthrew the tales of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves . . .”

We continue the story in John 2:15-17: “And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hat eaten me up.”

God looks for zealous arrows who will go into God’s temple, which is now within God’s people, and scatter all the things that are not of God and cleanse the house of God again.

Our president says, “Drain the swamp.” God looks for arrows who will scatter the evils of abortion, family planning, contraception, sterilization, and abortion. He looks for arrows who will rise to scatter all types of immorality, moral corruption, and propaganda that is taught in our colleges and learning institutions.

Jesus said His Father’s temple was to be a “house of prayer.” Both our individual temples (our bodies) as well as the corporate body should be used for prayer. It is from prayer times (individual prayer, daily family prayer times, and corporate prayer meetings) that arrows are sent forth to scatter the evil in this world.

Paul and Barnabas were sent forth from a prayer meeting (Acts 13:1-3). If we had more prayer meetings, maybe we would send forth more arrows!

Do you pray with your children each day? Do you have a prayer meeting in your home? Are your children part of prayer meetings? We shouldn’t send children to bed when there is a prayer meeting in action. Let them be part of it, even if they eventually go to sleep. We have a weekly prayer meeting in our home which is filled with more young people and children than adults! And they all pray. Even the six-year-olds.

The best way to shoot out arrows to scatter evil is to shoot them from prayer meetings. Are you shooting forth your children from prayer meetings?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Verse 4 reveals that this psalm is not only about David but is also a Messianic psalm: “He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever. “

Just as it was in David’s day, so in these days we are surrounded with enemies that despise, hate, resist, and reject the name and person of Jesus Christ. However, our King Jesus is making ready His arrows upon His strings. Once again, He will cause them to turn their backs and flee.

As parents, we are co-laborers with Jesus Christ to ensure that our arrows (our children) are ready to be placed on the strings of the Lord’s bows.

Psalm 11:12: “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.”

We are aware that that Satan has plenty of ready arrows with the media and left-wing ideologies. They are sharp and shooting at the upright in heart.

We must not fear or throw up our arms in despair. Rather, we must make sure that our quivers are filled with READY, HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTED ARROWS. Then we will never be ashamed before our enemies within our gates (Psalm 127:4, 5).

Luke 1:17: The Elijah anointing will “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; TO MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD.”

Matthew 25:10: “And they that WERE READY went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut.”

Luke 12:40: “Be ye therefore READY also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”

1 Timothy 6:18: “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, READY to distribute, willing to communicate.”

1 Timothy 4:6: Paul confessed: “For I am now READY TO BE OFFERED.”

Titus 3:1: “BE READY to every good work.”

1 Peter 3:15: “BE READY ALWAYS to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

1 Peter 5:2: Concerning the oversight of the church, elders should pastor “not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre (for payment of money), but of a READY MIND (a willing mind.)”

Revelation 19:7: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife HATH MADE HERSELF READY.”

There is no question that God wants a READY AND EQUIPPED PEOPLE to accomplish His warfare. May God save us from being unprepared, slipshod, out of order, not up-to-par, rusty, and antiquated.

Blunt, unpolished arrows who do not have parents to sharpen them up and make them ready are plainly not good enough for the bow of the King of kings.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 120:4 “Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.”

In ancient warfare they attached burning, live coals of the juniper tree to the heads of the arrows. They shot these arrows over the walls of the city on to the roof tops to set the city on fire. They were very destructive arrows.

YOUNG PEOPLE ON FIRE

It is wonderful when young people get on fire for God. Their enthusiasm is magnetic to behold. I remember when we lived on the Gold Coast of Australia and our children were in their teen years. We had a very “on fire” youth group in the church I founded on the Gold Coast. They would go out to the main gathering place in the center of the city called Cavill Mall. It was an outside mall because of the tropical weather.

The young people would begin street preaching where hundreds of people milled around shopping, going in and out of nightclubs, cafeterias, and coffee bars. These young people were so “on fire” that they would soon gather a crowd of by-standers. The people were astounded that these young people were so “on fire” for Jesus Christ. There is something very pure and innocent about it.

As a young teen, our son, Rocklyn, would preach like two Billy Grahams put together. Both the boys and the girls needed to lift their voices and gesticulate with their arms as there were no microphones. Quite often the police would shove them on because their crowd began blocking the footpath.

THE FIRE OF GOD AND ZEAL GO TOGETHER

If we are on fire for God, we will have zeal.

The prophetic Scripture of Jesus in Psalm 69:9 says: “The zeal of thine house that eaten me up.”

The psalmist in Psalm 119:130 confessed: “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.”

OLDER PEOPLE ON FIRE FOR GOD

It is great for young people to be full of zeal and on fire for God. However, it is just as important for older people to have the fire of God, their spirits burning hot within them in all matters concerning God’s house.

Just because you are middle-aged or even in your senior years, does not give you permission to let the fire die out. God commanded in Leviticus 6:12 and 13 that the fire upon the altar was never to go out. NEVER, EVER!

I want to be more on fire for God in my senior years than at any other time in my life.

If you have the fire of the zeal of God burning within you people will want to listen to you. It is possible to preach God’s Word without fire and zeal, but it will not move people. It is possible to speak the truth with great eloquence, but it will not change the listeners. It must come from a spirit that is ignited by the burning fire of God.

FIRE CREATES MORE FIRE

The great thing about fire is that it creates more fire. When the fire of God is upon us, we’ll release a riot or a revival!

Psalm 39:2, 3: “I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was HOT WITHIN ME, while I was musing THE FIRE BURNED; THEN SPAKE I WITH MY TONGUE.”

The New Living Translation says: “But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words.”

The Passion Translation says: “My heart burned with a fire within me, and my thoughts eventually boiled over until they finally came rolling out of my mouth.”

The word “musing” means “complaining or murmuring, meditation or musing.” David is putting more fuel on the fire. Musing also stirred his sorrow about the wicked all around him. He did not want to say the wrong thing, therefore he shut his mouth. But as he mused upon the state of the wicked the fire became hotter and the sorrow increased. He could bottle it up no longer and therefore spoke, and I am sure with great fervor and conviction.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Numbers 24:8: “God shall pierce them through with his arrows.” God spoke this prophecy concerning Israel through Balaam, the prophet, who was hired by Balak the king of the Moabites. Balaam prophesied that Israel would be arrows to pierce through their enemies. The king of Balak did not want to hear this prophecy. In fact, it made him very angry.

Would to God that such a prophecy could be applied to God’s people today. Sadly, the enemy’s arrows have pierced us.

However, this prophecy has application to all God’s people throughout all generations if we will only wake up. God calls us to be involved in true spiritual warfare.

If we train our children to put on the whole armor of God, take a positive, militant stand in prayer, and teach them the true art of spiritual warfare that involves binding and losing, we will very soon pierce through the defenses of our enemies. Abortion and homosexuality would soon be overcome. All unholy practices would soon be shattered and pierced through.

We most certainly will not be militant against one another. Nor will we be militant against those whom God wants to save, for we do not fight against flesh and blood. Our real enemies are sinister, spiritual ones that are the driving force behind the physical.

Israel of old was always victorious in piercing rhough their enemy’s defenses if God was with them and on their side. If God was not on their side because of sin in the camp Israel suffered enormous loses.

2 Corinthians 10:4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”

Nuclear weapons (perhaps the mightiest weapons on planet earth) cannot defeat the principalities and powers that drive the evils of this world. It takes Spirit-powered arrows that are sent forth from our “on fire” prayer meetings and from the Family Devotions we hold around our breakfast and evening meal tables.

These are the simple, but powerful weapons, like the simple sling that young David, who became one of Israel’s greatest warriors, used to bring the mighty Goliath down to the ground. Goliath epitomized the proud and arrogant strongholds of the devil’s camp, but could not stand against God’s weapons.

The mighty weapons of God include the heart-piercing arrows from home schooling families, morning and evening devotions, coupled with simple, earnest prayer, praise, and worship which accomplish more than any atomic weapon could ever accomplish.

Our weapons are so basic that most Christians don’t even entertain them in in our day of sophisticated modern warfare. All the while we hold this attitude the enemy’s fortresses remain unpenetrated and unmoved. The arsenal of the true Christian family and church include the humble, yet highly effective blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony (which is the Word of God in our mouths when we pray and testify), plus loving not our lives unto death (applying the cross to every area of our lives).

We must not despise these humble weapons if we wish to pierce through the strongholds of the powers of darkness.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Picture: Daniel and Allison Hartman announcing a new arrow to arrive in their family.

Arrows were often polished with olive oil which in the Scripture represents the Holy Spirit. God wants all His arrows to be polished with this greatest polishing oil, especially designed for all His children.

Oil was always put upon the head. Psalm 23:5 says: “Thou anointest my head with oil.” Each one of our children need their heads anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit. The head of each arrow is most important. It must penetrate and inflict maximum damage on its target.

The heads of all our children must be anointed with the Holy Spirit—with their minds and thoughts to think God’s truth, their eyes to see what God wants them to see, their ears to hear what God wants them to hear, their mouths to speak what God wants them to speak, and their faces revealing His polished glory.

Exodus 29:7 says: “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.” This is speaking of Aaron the first High Priest of Israel who represented our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ whose head is also anointed with the Holy oil.

Hebrews 1:9: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Read also Isaiah 11:2; 61:1-3; and Acts 10:38.

Psalm 133:2: “It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.”

Psalm 104:15 states: “And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.” God does not want any of His arrows to have unpolished faces. He wants them to shine with His glory.

Exodus 30;30: “And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.” Not only is our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ anointed with holy oil, but God wants all His sons to be anointed with the holy oil

All Christian parents are ministers of this holy oil to polish each one of their sons and daughters.

Be encouraged,

Colin Campbell

The arrows God calls forth from the wombs and loins of godly parents have bright eyes and bright countenances. They are arrows that are educated in the truth of God’s Holy Word and not the humanistic reasoning and teaching of educators who do not walk in the light.

Light begets light; darkness begets darkness.

The arrows God calls for not only reflect light like the moon on a clear night, but they also emit light because the true source of light dwells within them.

God calls all Christian parents to “make bright the arrows.”

A dumbed down society cannot make bright arrows, only dumbed down arrows. Drugs, pornography, and all types of immorality tend to fog and dumb down the human brain, the affections, heart, and spirit as well as character and creativity.

The Scripture in Jeremiah 51:11 exhorts us to make our arrows bright. To make bright arrows does not happen spontaneous or automatically. It takes sacrifice, diligence, and hard work.

God does not want us to make average, ordinary, dull arrows that will not bring honor and glory to His name. As Christian parents we must take full responsibility to make sure our children are brightened by the education and lifestyle we provide for them.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

P.S. We will continue to look at the different kinds of arrows God wants us to raise.

God has mandated us to “be fruitful and multiply and have dominion” as well as giving us the ability to do so. The problem we have is of our own making. If we will only humble ourselves, be teachable, and raise the children God wants us to have, we will quickly change the voting dynamic.

In our counties we have allowed ourselves to be deceived by Satan-inspired education and media. Without a doubt God is behind, and backing, all conservative, moral values and the devil is behind all left-wing humanistic, extreme socialistic values. However, we who call ourselves conservative, need to wake up and be fruitful and multiply in the natural realm so there will be people to be fruitful and multiply in the spiritual realm.

The question remains: how can we swamp the voting booths if we do not bring to birth the voters and raise them at home with biblical, conservative values?

Because we face so much negativity in the main stream media and left-wing state schools and colleges, I cannot see for the life of me any other answer to our national dilemma.

The democratic idea is to open the gates to illegal immigration, hoping that they will vote for them. However, I think it is high time we woke up to do things God’s way. God always provides for us if we will only do it His way.

We cannot expect to win elections, no matter how hard we array, if we keep doing things according to our own mindset and reasoning. This is the humanistic way. Humanism, simply explained, is humans doing things according to their own wisdom and reasoning. This is building one’s house upon the sand. When the storms come, the house falls.

But Jesus told us in Matthew 7:24-27 to build our lives, homes, and nations upon His teachings and His words so that when the floods come and the wind blows, the marriage, the home, the family, the city, and the nation will not fall. Those that do otherwise will experience a great fall. This is what Jesus said: “And GREAT was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:27).

We who are conservatives can agree on this point, that we desperately need more conservative voters.

And everyone said, Amen!

Be encouraged,

Colin Campbell

I guess it will have to me!

God was very merciful to conservatives on Election day, November 6th. I was saddened that we lost the House of Representatives. We did not have enough arrows in our quivers to vote in the conservative candidates needed to hold Congress for the Republican agenda.

I believe the answer to this dilemma is simpler than most Christians realize. However, most do not want a simple answer; they want a philosophical answer.

The problem is so simple to see that even a blind man could see it, at least in his mind. That is, we need more people to vote conservative. Many of the races were very close and it would not have taken many more votes to swing the election of the House to a conservative favor.

I will say it again, for the simple answer to sink into our brains as well as our hearts—we desperately need more Christian, conservative moms and dads to bring to birth more children. We need more children to grow up to be sharp arrows, not only to vote in the righteous to rule this great land, but also to be candidates that can rule in the ways of righteousness, peace, and truth.

It’s not hard to see why the Democrats, with their socialist agenda, want open borders, for open borders provide more illegal votes for their agenda. This is a corruption they are pleased to overlook.

The opposition to conservative government wants more voters, but they do not want to bring them to birth or raise them. They would have to sacrifice their careers. It would bind them to their homes. Therefore, they need open borders with all its risks of crime and human trafficking. They are prepared to overlook all the problems related to unregulated immigration to get votes for them to get the power to govern their liberal, socialist agenda.

But wait a minute. Are we conservatives who desire godly, conservative values limiting the birth rate of our own children? Do we send our few children to the state school to be indoctrinated by the leftist agenda?

Where do we think we will get voters for our conservative agenda? The answer is not complex. It is simple. We must wake up and shake off whatever hinders us from bringing to birth godly, righteous voters. We must shake off the small family mindset, the resistance to sacrifice, all selfishness, and the desire to be what the world regards as normal.

Trying to be like the secular world created the 1.8 – 2.00-member average-size family in America. Because of deaths, wars, accidents, diseases, infertilities, singleness, and homosexual lifestyles, as well as the use of contraception, sterilization, and abortion, two children cannot replace two parents. It takes three children to stabilize a population and at least four to increase.

The undeniable truth is that America is a dying nation. Without immigration we cannot survive. We do not want to raise our own children,, except pfor one or two . . .
not because we believe there is anything wrong in raising American children,
not because we cannot afford larger families (we are one of the richest nations in the world),
but rather because we do not want to sacrifice our own selfish ambitions. We don’t want to be other than normal. Normality is a big problem.

If we keep going in this direction of selfish careerism, taking mothers out of the home, and educating the small families we do have with liberal socialism—democrat ideology, transgender lifestyles, and homosexual marriages that cannot reproduce, how will we ever be able to win conservative elections?

We are hypocrites. We substitute giving birth to our own children and are happy to welcome the births of other nations. In other words, it’s fine with us if others sacrifice to have children in third world nations and its right for them to come here illegally so they can vote in place of the children we are not prepared to bring to birth and raise as our own US citizens.

I am not against immigration as I am an immigrant myself and have many grandchildren born here in USA.

I thank God that in His great mercy He enabled us in these midterm elections to not only hold the Senate but to increase it. This was quite a miracle and an answer to many heart-felt prayers. We should all be very grateful to our Great God and His Son, Jesus Christ for His unfailing mercies. God has given to us conservatives another window of opportunity and we must not squander it.

I thank God for President Trump and I join him and his desire to see our nation great again, not just financially and militarily, but also spiritually. I want to see America filled with its own children, raised from our own loins and wombs, and raised with a conservative, morally valued education as well as having legal immigrants who want to be citizens and who love America.

God Himself mandates His people to be fruitful and multiply and take dominion. It’s time we stopped philosophizing and using our own human reason to thwart God’s vision. If we don’t, we will continue to lose the needed voters.

Election time would not be so stressful if conservatives would simply enlarge their own families. Let the left limit their families and conservatives will laugh on election days because we refuse to be fooled!

SO, THERE YOU GO. I’VE SAID IT!

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell