Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

This world is rocking and reeling like a drunken sailor, but our God reigns!

2 Timothy 3:1-5 says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

Men, like Noah, we need build an ark to save our households. Hebrews 11:7 says, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

This is not a time to be living carelessly, or even prayerlessly. Matthew 24:37-39 says, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Men, we are building an ark for our family when we have daily Family Devotions. Every devotion with our family is hammering another nail in our ark. We are building an ark for our family when we read the Scriptures with them, pray with them, and worship with them.

We are building an ark for our family when we apply loving discipline to our children when they need it.

We are building an ark for our family every day as we stand up for wholesome godly standards, denouncing all compromise and tolerance of that which is evil.

We are building an ark for our children as we homeschool them, saving them from all sorts of false, humanistic teach and ungodly friendships.

We are building an ark for our family as we encourage our wives to full time mother our children. By this we save them from the dangerous oceans of daycare centers.

We are building an ark for our children as we relate, communicate, and shower our love upon them, especially when they need it most.

We are building an ark for our children as we work hard to provide well for them.

We are building an ark for our family by helping them make godly choices for themselves. Allowing our children, especially our daughters, to leave home to go to a secular college where they will be surrounded with all types of temptation is not building an ark for them. It is sending them out of the ark. There are many alternative ways for them to earn a college degree.

We are building an ark for our family by taking them regularly to a truth-advocating church.

We are building an ark for them by surrounding them with godly siblings and friends.

The greatest ark of all is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Most of all, we must encourage our children to all be on His ark.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

This war needs soldiers on the ground and soldiers who know how to pray.

Isaiah 28:5, 6 says, "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sittest in judgment, and for STRENGTH TO THEM THAT TURN THE BATTLE TO THE GATE."

All the blood, sweat, and toil that the USA put into winning the war over Al Qaeda in Iraq is about to be lost as ISIS positions itself to take Baghdad. Men, along with our families, we must pray that God will somehow and in some way divinely intervene. In the last week approximately 1,000 people have been killed by this murderous group as it sets itself up to take Baghdad. We must pray that God in His mercy will cause our government to act wisely and appropriately, despite the foolishness of man's wisdom.

There are many Christians in Iraq and Syria whose lives are being snuffed out and brutally threatened by this evil land murderous group. As we all know, two of our our journalists were beheaded by them. Now we have the beheading in Oklahoma, which is without a doubt connected, and should warn us that all these terrorist groups need to be severely dealt with right now by all peace loving nations before we suffer something even worse than 9/11.

All of these terrorist groups hate us with a demonic, satanic hatred. We must pray also that millions of moderate more peace-loving Islamics will leave their Islamic faith out of disgust for its ever-increasing violence toward innocent people. We must pray that they will turn to Jesus Christ who alone is the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

"Buy the truth, and sell it not" (Proverbs 23:23).

Men, we are a nation that has been founded upon godly ethics and standards in our Constitution. Therefore, we have a divine calling to be standard-bearers of all that is wholesome, godly, and ethical to all nations that have contact with us. The founding documents of our nation were greatly influenced by the moral code and values of the Bible, which proves that at that time many of our leaders were also greatly influenced by God's Word.

We have now reached a time in our history when many of our current leaders are no longer under the influence of the Bible, as were our founders. Through the democratic and political process, we the people, have voted into power and leadership many who care not for the standards of truth and integrity. The reason why we have voted liars, cheaters, and corrupters into positions of power is because we the people, have fallen away from the "love of the truth."

The liberties that we have inherited in order to live a life of blessing, peace, and protection are now being abused in order to satisfy our flesh and lusts. This has resulted in government approved-homosexual marriages, government-approved abortion (the shedding of innocent blood), plus a host of other government-approved immoral behavior including legalized drug use.

We as a nation once bought the truth. Now we are sell it out in order to buy lies and deceptions.

Men, we must now arise and lead our nation back to the truth. We must begin with ourselves so that we will be men who buy and love the truth. We must also raise children of truth who will love the truth and hate and despise all that is evil (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:15; Romans 12:9; and Hebrews 1:9).

Let us rise up all over this land. Let us embrace the truth and, along with our families, push back the darkness. "This we will do, so help us, O God. We are desperately in need of you, O God."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Daniel 11:32 (HCSB) states: "The people who know their God will be strong and take action."

As fathers, we have a great work to do. We are raising up our children to be standard-bearers to the nation we live in as well as many other nations.

We are raising up families of strong moral character.

We are raising families who have been well taught on all godly moral values.

We are raising children and young people who know their Bibles and know how to pray.

We are raising families who know how to hold their heads up and their shoulders square in the face of all opposition to righteous standards.

We are raising families who know how to resist temptations to be liars, cheats, compromisers, and lazy "good for nothings."

We are raising up our families to be movers and shakers of all that is wholesome and righteous.

We are raising families who are not afraid of devils and demonic forces of darkness who dare to roar against us.

We are raising families who know their God and who will be strong, and do exploits.

We are raising families with stickability, persistence, and pluck.

We are raising families who are learning how to fight in the battles of life, who will never quit or throw in the towel.

Men, the world desperately needs this kind of family more than ever. You had better believe it! The whole world needs fathers and mother who will be prepared to sacrifice everything to make this happen.

Men, are you tracking with me?

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Isaiah 62:10 says, "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people."

As fathers, we have the priceless privilege of being moral, godly standard-bearers for not only our own families, but ultimately the whole nation. We must, and can, change this nation for good--one family at a time, beginning with our own family.

For too long we have as a so-called Christian nation allowed our godly Christian morals and values to slip and fall away to the point that we appear to many of the world's Islamic peoples, who hold extremely strict moral codes with harsh penalties, to be decadent, offensive, and ungodly. However, we know that for all their prayers and strict religious observances that their religion is full of massive hypocrisies and injustices, especially towards woman. Their barbaric treatment of innocent people by the use of the sword in order to convert them to Islam is plain straight demonic and evil.

Unfortunately, as a Christian nation, we appear to those who want to attack us as immoral, ungodly, given to drugs, alcohol, pornography, shootings, murders, adulteries, and abortions. Our checkout tabloids are full of it. Our media and movie theaters are full of it.

As a Christian nation we have been called by God to be a light to a dark world, to be an example nation of people who speak the truth, to be a people who show forth justice, honor, and integrity.

Fathers, all this has to start in our homes. It is we men and fathers who must raise the standards of honesty, purity, and godly morals.

We must start today.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Now is NOT the time for coffee and tea gatherings or prayer breakfasts where we do more talking and breakfasting than praying. Now is not the time for levity, laughing, joking and telling funny stories.

Now is the time for us to take military action in the spirit realm.
Now is the time for us to pray as families for those who are being downtrodden, beaten, and persecuted.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET SERIOUS AND ARM OUSELVES TO DO BATTLE.

~ Colin Campbell

Men, I believe that the greatest thing that could sum up our lives or could ever be said about us is that we are loving men. We would all agree that love is the greatest word that describes God. 1 John 4:16 says, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

Although God is characterized by many great and wonderful attributes such as His holiness, truth, strength, righteousness, mercy, faithfulness, justice and many others that should never be underestimated in any way, but the greatest is love. The apostle Paul makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that even though there are three major abiding virtues for all Christians--faith, hope, and love, but the GREATEST of these is love.

Men, a very religious man may not be a very loving man. We may have all the doctrines of the Bible in our heads, and yet not have love moving out of our hands and feet. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Someone has said, "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." God gave His only begotten Son purely because He loves us so much.

Men, our families need to see and experience this greatest of all virtues outweighing everything else about us in order that we will be the true reflectors of God.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God . . . We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:1, 14).

Men, every day we are presented with new opportunities to show forth the loving heart of our heavenly Father. The whole world is famished for living demonstrations of His fatherly love. Each one of us "prayed up" men have the great privilege of generously ministering God's love at all times and at every opportunity to a desperately needy world.

First of all, we must minister love to our wives and families. Those who are closest to us have the number one priority. Men, there is something wrong with the picture when we think that others outside of our immediate family have the first right to God's fatherly love flowing through us. Perhaps it is easier to minister to those who do not see us close up and those who are not acquainted with our faults and failures for they do not really know what we are like on the home base where we tend to be more vulnerable.

The Father's love in us is unchanging, no matter where we are, in the home or out of the home. All that His love requires is men, who despite their own inadequacies, will seek the Lord sufficiently for His love to be released in all its manifold ways to all who are involved in our lives, both at home and everywhere we go.

We men must never forget that the greatest debt we owe our families and our fellowmen is love, for God Himself is love, and has made love to be the highest ambition for man to aspire and fulfill. There is no quest higher than love.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Jude 1:20, 21 says, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

Men, because of all the challenges we daily face in so many areas of our lives, we must continually keep ourselves strong in the Lord. It's one thing to go to a gym, eat the right foods, and workout to keep our physical bodies strong and in good shape, but it is another thing to be strong and in good shape spiritually.

Children and teens need spiritually strong fathers. Fathers who are up with the play (know what's going on). Fathers who set strong standards and boundaries for their children. Many of the problems that Christian families have with teenagers getting off the tracks is because fathers are not up with the play of what's really going on in their children's lives.

Men, we not only have to be more involved with our children, but we should be always ready to give them godly advice and direction in a loving and non-threatening way. A father who constantly threatens his children tends to get their backs up and creates rebellion and resistance. When counseling and directing our children, make sure the children know that love is coming through at the same time. This can only happen by being prayed up in the Holy Spirit.

Men, just as you see the importance of a physical workout to keep yourselves trim and fit, don't forget the absolute importance of being prayed up so that your spiritual batteries will be always charged up to the max.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

When we think about homeland security our minds automatically go to airports, CIA, police security, and our Coast Guard, etc. We don't think of our own homes, families, the land where we walk every day and influence other lives. Yet, this is the area for which we as fathers and mothers must take personal responsibility. This is where we must be most vigilant to guard against all enemies that would corrupt our morals and godly standards.

It seems somewhat ludicrous that we should be more interested in national security to guard us from terror attacks and yet at the same time fail to seriously protect ourselves from the spiritual darts and arrows that Satan and his demons seek to fire at us each day.

Common Core education has nothing in common with true Christianity. This is where we desperately need homeland security.

Each new day, abortionists shed the blood of thousands of our nation's unborn children. This is a national sin that opens up a wide door for all types of enemy attack. We desperately need the continual outcry of the true church against this sin. This is part of our homeland security.

As true Christians we must guard our families from all forms of moral perversions such as Internet pornography. We need homeland security on all the electronic devices that entertain our families these days.

We must stand up against all leadership that compromises truth, whether in our churches or politics. This is a major part of homeland security.

We must take a strong stand on marriage and encourage purity, faithfulness, love, and godliness. This is also a major area where we need homeland security.

As Christian men, with our families, we must engage in the battle for real homeland security. The very soul of our nation is at stake.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

THE STATE OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY REFLECTS THE STATE OF OUR SPIRITIUAL BORDERS.

Numbers 33:55 says, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thrown in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

Despite all the rhetoric coming out of Washington concerning our national safety and awareness, the question still remains, "How safe are we really?"

Since 9/11 2001 the general public who regularly travel through airports are given the impression that our government genuinely looks out for our safety. However, any one in their right mind understands that while our southern border continues to remain as porous it is to this very day, with literally tens of thousands of illegals permitted to gate crash our immigration system every year, that our airport security is only window dressing to make us feel falsely secure. Our present federal government is virtually standing at the border with a big celebration cake full of goodies in order to make would-be terrorists feel welcome and safe in a America. What a joke.

The reason I point this it is because the Christian church, as far as its spiritual borders are concerned, parallels the nation with its wide borders that allow the world, the flesh, and the devil to come pouring in at an unprecedented rate. And often with the same welcome cake to celebrate their arrival. I think that as far as border security is concerned, the southern border reflects the border state of the church and will continue to do so until the church wakes up to what we are negatively allowing in to destroy our morals, our marriages, and our families.

To be continued.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Psalm 118:6 says, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"

Our Homeland Security arose to new levels of vigilance following 9/11. As Christians, we must also constantly be on the alert for spiritual and immoral terrorists that seek to attack and destroy our moral values in individuals, families, homes, churches, and the nation.

To be honest, I believe that spiritual vigilance regarding our nation's values is the first line of defense and needs the most attention. Our nation's border defense systems against physical enemies, e.g. Islamic terrorist organizations are secondary, although I do not seek to undermine their strategic importance. The question is: how safe are we? Even if we have all our borders and ports of entrance covered with the most sophisticated technology (which we do not), if our national morals and godly values are not vigilantly guarded, are we really safe?

As a nation, we must understand that real protection comes from God. Unless He is on our side, we remain vulnerable for all kinds of attack. Moral values are under serious erosion in our nations. The sanctity of marriage is under massive attack--both from the homosexual agenda as well as unfaithfulness and divorce, even in the church. Abortion is the shedding of innocent blood and that blood continues to flow in an ever increasing stream throughout our nation's abortion clinics. How is that we are so indignant at ISIS slashing innocent people's throats while our own nation slashes the throats of our own unborn babies? What hypocrisy and blindness.

As families, churches, and nations we must never ever forget that God is our most important line of defense. True homeland security is very much a spiritual thing.
If God is not watching over us to protect us from all enemy attack then we are of all people most vulnerable.

We should make it our most urgent business to keep God on our side. Whatever is an offence to God must also be an offence to us. We must never, as a nation, take God's protection for granted. I fear this what we have done and continue to do.

Psalm 127:1 says, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Today is 9/11 2014. 9/11 2001 was a wakeup call for America. Despite what many think, I believe America did right by responding with appropriate action to strike back at the two nations who were mainly responsible for harboring and assisting the Al Qaeda terrorist organization that cruelly and callously attacked and killed so many thousands of innocent peace-loving Americans. They had done them no harm nor threatened them. This was a premeditated murder of American citizens simply because they hate us because we are not Islamic and practicing their Sharia law. And also because as Christians we support Israel who they also hate.

They have to know that we owe it to our nation to show appropriate response to their attacks.

The big question is: How aware are we? Having dealt them a massive blow in both those countries, we decided to withdraw and take a more softer and tolerant approach toward them. Now we reap the tragic results with an even bolder and more barbaric ideology in new and improved terrorism.

America woke up for awhile but soon drifted back into dozing. America has been called to wake up and stay awake. As Christian families we must learn that prayer is the method God uses to keep us awake and alert. We must be on the alert spiritually, for our nation's sake.

I believe God is calling for families, as well as individuals, to wake up and pray as never before. If ever there was a time in all our history to pray, that time is NOW.

Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 22:46: "Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."

Be encouraged. Colin Campbell

Battle fatigue is as real in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural. In the day of attack it is a good strategy to surround ourselves with like-minded people who will help to hold up our hands when we become weary and fatigued.

There are two major components to every battle, the physical and the spiritual. Exodus 17:11, 12: "And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."

In this passage of Scripture, Joshua and his army were fighting against the Amalekites who were attacking Israel. God clearly demonstrates that the physical victory for the armies of the Lord was very dependent on the spiritual battle being fought on "the top of the hill" (Exodus 17:10). Moses held up his hands with the "rod of God" (the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Word of God). This same rod had performed many miracles before Pharaoh in Egypt. It was used to divide the Red sea.

Even in this current battle against ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, the Muslim Brotherhood and many other terrorist organizations there are still two components--the natural and the spiritual. To defeat these modern day Amalekites we must be men and women (and of course families) like Moses, Aaron, and Hur who will hold up holy hands with the "rod of God" and attack the spiritual evil powers that drive the Amalekites.

Thank God for the coalition of western powers who are doing what they can physically do, but relying only upon the physical when fighting against evil will not and cannot defeat the forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. Remember that "the top of the hill" signifies that the battle must be won in the heavenly realm in order for the physical armies to prevail.

This is where we fathers, along with our families, have a very important role to perform The battle against extreme Islam is a spiritual fight. We fathers must teach our growing sons and daughters how to fight in the heavenly realm. We must teach them what it means to lift up holy hands with the high praises of God in our mouths and a two edged word in our hands (Psalm 149:6).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

1 Timothy 2:8: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

Psalm 134:2: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord."

Psalm 141:2: "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

In 2 Kings 13:18, 19 (ESV) the prophet, Elisha tells Joash, the king of Israel: "'Take the arrows,' and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground with them.' And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.'"

Men, we must maintain a vigilant fight in prayer, along with our families, in praying for the suffering, persecuted church, as well as many other national and international needs. Someone has said that "Quitters never win and winners never quit."

I think that Elisha wanted to end his life here on earth with another great victory for God and Israel, but sad to say, he died an angry and disappointed man. This was because of an apathetic king who lacked stickability in warfare. He should have struck the ground five or six times, especially as verse 16 tell us that "Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands."

King Joash lacked prophetic insight and perseverance. He only smote three times and stopped. Now Syria would only be defeated three times which would not be enough to consume them.

Perhaps the king only had three arrows in his quiver. He should have had more. Psalm 127: 4, 5 says, "As arrows in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gates." Men, we should desire, if possible, that God would give us a full quiver and that by His grace we should fire every one of our arrows into the battle of the Lord. We must not in any way take the weapon of prayer too casually. We must train each one of our children in the art of persistent warfare prayer.

ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, and the Muslim Brotherhood and many other terrorist organizations will win if we as families across the world to not persistently pray.

We need to ask ourselves the question: why should they win any victories at all when we have the Captain of the Lord's hosts on our side? We must never let them win one single battle simply because we are not persistent and quit praying.

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Revelation 17:6 says, "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." The ISIS terrorist group are not ashamed to publicly shed blood. Could they become worse than the Nazis? Is it possible?

How could anything could be worse than the cruel atrocities committed by the Third Reich of Germany on the millions of Jews of Europe during the time of World War II--the mass deportations in cattle cars, the splitting up of families, the cruel slave labor and extermination camps, the gas chambers, and the mass graves. Much of this was kept a secret for they were embarrassed to let the world know the levels to which they had stooped to people who were unarmed and who for generations had been citizens of their European countries.

The big difference with ISIS is that they are not ashamed to make public their barbaric acts of torture and violence. They want the whole world to know the cruelty of their ideology. One would think that such cruelty would cause Islamic young people, both men and women, to distance themselves from ISIS but this is not the case. Thousands of young people have been attracted to join up and offer their services to this evil, deluded, butcher-style militancy. Many have left the comforts of their western nations to offer their lives to further this evil cause.

How can we not be challenged by the craziness and false zeal of these deluded people who believe they are serving God as they lop of innocent people's heads? As families, we need to pray that God will clothe us with His true, loving, and righteous zeal that will enable us to defeat and bring down the armies of the enemy. With the high praises of God in our mouths, and a two edged sword in our hands, we will bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron (Psalm 1459:6, 7).

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

It takes men of backbone to speak the truth.

Men who are wishbones wish that things were better. They wish they had the prosperity of past years. They wish God would answer their feeble prayers. They wish that someone else would speak up for them. But they themselves will not lift a finger or a toe to make a solid stand for truth.

IT'S HIGH TIME FOR MEN WITH REAL BACKBONE TO SPEAK UP FOR TRUTH.

~ Colin Campbell

2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

From what I am reading and hearing the buzz word for this moment of time is NOW. Now is the time for the nations of the world, who do not want to be ruled by the deluded terrorist group called ISIS and other terrorist groups, to act and do something of substance to defeat them. RIGHT NOW is the time.

We do not have time for long dialogue or drawn out committee meetings. I read an article this morning from CNN of a young man who only two weeks ago defected from ISIS because the group was "spreading injustice in the name of justice." However, he still believes in their ideology. Thousands of foreigners are estimated to have joined their ranks, including USA and UK.

Just as the world realizes, hopefully, that NOW IS THE TIME to wake up to action, so as Christians we must also realize the importance of NOW. Now is the time for us to take military action in the spirit realm. Now is the time for us to pray as families for those who are being downtrodden, beaten, and persecuted.

Now is NOT the time for coffee and tea gatherings or prayer breakfasts where we do more talking and breakfasting than praying. Now is not the time for levity, laughing, joking and telling funny stories.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET SERIOUS AND ARM OUSELVES TO DO BATTLE.

Be encouraged.

Colin Campbell

Referenced article. "Inside the mind of an ISIS fighter." CNN.com