GUARD YOUR TREASURES

"Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,
and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD,
and the treasures of the king's house;
he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold
which Solomon had made" (2 Chronicles 12:9).

You have many treasures in your home, treasures you must protect and not let anyone take from you.

The above Scripture tells us how the King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and "took away the treasures of the house of the LORD." King Rehoboam, the king of Jerusalem was not on guard. He allowed the treasures of God's house and his house to be taken away. These were not little treasures. They were treasures of gold. Everything in the house of God was made of pure gold. Even the shields were made of gold.

We must also guard that we do not allow our treasures of gold to be taken away. This is what the enemy wants to do. He comes to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10). He comes to rob us of all that God wants us to enjoy.

DON'T BE CONTENT WITH SECOND BEST

When we let him rob us, we end up with second best. The King of Egypt took the GLORIOUS shields of gold. So WHAT DID Rehoboam do? "Instead he made shields of brass" (2 Chronicles 12:10). Counterfeit! Second best!

Which do you want? Gold or brass?

GUARD YOUR MARRIAGE

God is the author of marriage. Because it is God's plan, the devil wants to destroy it. Do not let him steal your marriage. Keep a soft and forgiving heart. Do not let hardness take hold of your heart. Hardness leads to divorce (Matthew 19:8). Instead, build your marriage. Every day, find some way to make your marriage lovelier and stronger. Go after the gold. Which would you rather have? A marriage of gold, or second best, brass? You decide which you want.

GUARD YOUR CHILDREN

Do not allow the enemy to rob and deceive them with lies and deception. Do not give them away to the public education system to drill their humanistic and alternative propaganda into their brains.

Micah 2:9 says: "The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away their glory forever." The Amplified Version translates this verse: "From her children you take away my splendor and blessing forever (by putting them among pagans, away from Me)." God says that the glory of children is for them to be raised in the home.

GUARD YOUR FERTILITY

Our fertility is a very precious gift from God. And it does not last forever. It is only for a window of time in the seasons of our whole life. We cannot determine when we will have children. It is ultimately in God's hands. To walk in God's perfect plan for our lives, we should yield our wombs to God, for His glory. He will give the children He has planned from the foundation of the world.

If you are having problems conceiving, ask your husband to lay his hands upon your womb and pray over you every day. Make a specific time every day. Your husband is your covering and God will hear his cries for you.

GUARD YOUR FAMILY LIFE

Family life is God's plan from the beginning of creation. It is the way He planned for us to live in their world. He has no other plan. He specifically states that He wants the solitary to live in families. It is the healthiest way to live. But because It is God's plan, the devil hates it. We know he is bent on destroying family life.

He won't always tempt you with blatant, sinful things to destroy your family, He uses little things. He subtly deceives you. Watch for his deceptions. Watch that your family does not become fragmented with everyone constantly going their various ways. This is the testimony of most families today, but it is not God's way.

He wants us to build our families. To build relationships. To encourage interaction and family togetherness. Determine to sit together for your family meals, especially for your evening. Don't only eat food at your table. Feed the soul and encourage family discussion and participation. And feed the spirit. Never leave the table without reading God's living Word and praying together. Guard this precious time. Don't give it away.

"Drive your pegs deep" (Isaiah 54:2). Guard your treasures, dear mothers. Don't let them filter through your fingers. It can happen so easily. You must PURPOSEFULLY, DELIBERATELY, and INTENTIONALLY build into your marriage and family life. It doesn't just happen. You must make it happen.

Constantly think and dream of how you are going to build your home and family. That's what a builder does. He dreams. He gets a vision. And then he acts and builds according to the plan.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, I thank You for filling my home with treasures, treasures that are eternal and will last forever. Please help me to guard my treasures and to pour my time and effort into what is lasting rather than the temporal things of this world. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am going to preserve the golden treasures God has given me. I will not be satisfied with brass.