Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

When we feel miserable or upset, God wants us to make a sacrifice! Yes, that means to do something we don’t like. Something that denies the flesh.

You may feel down in the dumps. Forget your feelings. Make a sacrifice of JOY! It is a sacrifice isn’t it? Especially when you don’t feel like it, but Psalm 27:6 tells us to make “SACRIFICES OF JOY.” And how do you make the sacrifice? It goes on to say: “I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.” You’ve got to start singing.

There are more sacrifices yet! When you are full of self-pity, cast it out in the name of Jesus and make a sacrifice of PRAISE. Jeremiah 17:20 and 31:11 talk about it and then the New Testament takes it up in Hebrews 13;15: “Let us offer the SACRIFICE of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

You’ve got to do something You’ve got to open your lips and praise instead of complaining!

If that’s not enough, God’s tells us to make the “SACRIFICES of thanksgiving” (Psalm 107:22 and 116:17). Do you notice the plural? It’s not only one sacrifice of thanksgiving, but sacrifices! You’ve got to keep on sacrificing your feelings and keep on thanking and praising the Lord.

Will you do it? know you don’t feel like it. It is a sacrifice. But it leads you to victory and triumph.

Listen to Jonah’s testimony. He offered the “sacrifice of thanksgiving” when he was down in the belly of the whale where the depths closed over him, the see wrapped itself around his head, and he sank to the very roots of the mountains! He was imprisoned in the earth! I am sure your problem isn’t as bad as Jonah’s! But he made the sacrifice, and God gave him deliverance (Jonah 2: 1-19).

The Bible also talks about the “SACRIFICES of righteousness” (Psalm 4:5 and 51:19 and the “SACRIFICES of a broken spirit and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

One more thing. God makes it clear that these sacrifices are not only for sometimes. We are to make them CONTINUALLY. The Old Testament commanded the people of Israel to make “continual “or “daily” sacrifices. The word in the Hebrew is “yom” and means from “sunrise to sunset.”

It doesn’t change in the New Testament. Hebrews 13:15 states: “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God CONTINUALLY.” No option. We can’t get off the hook. This is the plan. In fact, it’s the remedy. It’s the answer. God’s ways always work.

When you open your lips and start praising, you’ll win the victory. Your attitude will change. The atmosphere in your home will change, and even the children will change their behavior.

I know you’ll do it.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Are you ready to stop laboring in your own strength to build a strong homeschooling family and instead see the Lord build your house?

Then sign up for the free Homeschool Parenting Summit (October 22-27, 2018), an online event with 25+ video sessions with speakers (including Nancy Campbell) who will encourage you to turn your heart to God’s ways for your family’s joy and give you practical steps for faithful action.

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Yesterday I asked the question: “Why do many people hate the word patriarchy?” It’s not really that scary because it just comes from the word “pater” which is father. Whenever I have been interviewed on TV I have always been asked the question: “What do you think about patriarchy?” The liberals have a terrible view of this word. They think of ogre men who lord it over their wives. Sadly, there are men who treat their wives this way and distort God’s image of patriarchy. The true sense of the word is the revelation of God the Father to the world.

The origin of father is in the family. God even reveals family in the Trinity. We have God the Father. God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is never called a mother in God’s Word. And yet, we see the picture of mothering. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter and in the beginning of creation we read of Him “brooding” over the waters.

The Father is the head. Ephesians 4:6 says: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Following the image of the Three-in-One God, 1 Corinthians 11:3 states clearly: “I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” There is perfect equality and oneness in the God-head and yet they also have different functions. God wants us to function like He does.

Many women cannot accept that man is head of the woman. They demand equality, but they don’t have to demand equality, because we are already equal with men. God plainly reveals our equality and worth with men. But we have different functions. Just because God gave us different functions does not make us inferior. In fact, when we each fulfil our specific functions, our marriage and family life functions successfully.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s ultimate plan. God, who is the “only wise God” has the plan that works best. Or I should say, the only plan that really works.

God reveals the headship of man even in creation.

1. Man was created first, then the woman.

2. God represented the human race through Adam, the man, not Eve (1 Corinthians 15:22).

3. God gave Adam the responsibility to name Eve. Naming someone reveals their headship over the one named.

4. God called both Adam and Eve the name Adam (or “man” in the Hebrew), rather than Adam and Eve. Genesis 5:2 states: “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” Both are equal in worth, value, and importance, but God called them “man” to denote the male headship.

5. God held Adam accountable. Even though Eve was deceived and sinned first, when God came to the Garden of Eden what did He do? Genesis 3:9 says: “And the LORD God called unto ADAM,
and said unto him, Where art THOU?”

6. God created Eve to be a helper (Genesis 2:18). To be a helper is not inferior, for God is also called a Helper (the same Hebrew word “ezer”), but He didn’t call her the leader or the head.

7. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. The church does not lead Christ. The church submits to Christ as the wife submits to her husband. Ephesians 5:24: “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

Can we not trust the ultimate wisdom of God? Why do we think we know more than God? Why do we resist His ways? It only results in destruction as we see in our society today. God’s ways are perfect.

Proverbs 21:30: “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

Psalm 33:11: “The counsel of the LORD stands
forever, the thought of his heart to all generations.”

In His love,

Nancy Campbell

The Greek word for family in this passage is “patria” from the root word “pater” which is the word for father. Everything that is called after the Father belongs to or springs from Him. Oh, how the feminists hate this! They hate the word patriarchy which comes from “pater” (father).

This is the ridiculous deception of feminism. They hate their origin. They hate who they are because they hate God who is their source. They could not be in this world without a natural father, and of course, their Heavenly Father who is the only One who can give conception and who planned to bring them into this world.

We know that many harbor this hatred because of hurts they have received from their own fathers, or from men in their lives. This is all the work of the enemy. Satan hates fathering and mothering because it is how God wants to reveal Himself on this earth and he hates every plan of God. Therefore, he constantly attacks these powerful roles to distort and tread them down.

That’s why we must continually pray the promise of Malachi 4:5 that “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” God’s ultimate plan is that fathers reveal His beautiful Father heart to their families and the world, just as God wants His female creation to reveal His maternal heart to the families and the world.

Jesus was one with the Father. He was the Beloved Son of His Father, and the Father was His Beloved Father. And yet in His most amazing mercy He wants to share His Beloved Father with us. That’s why He left the glory of Heaven to come to this earth, shed His blood, and pour out His life for us—to save us and share His Father with us for eternity.

After Jesus had risen from the dead, He said to Mary: “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Have you ever read anything so incredible? Jesus tells us that He wants His Father to be our Father. He wants to share His glorious and eternal Father with us.

Would you want to share your father? Maybe we would be too selfish to do that. And yet Jesus wants us to experience His Father. When we know Him, we understand what fatherhood is all about.

While Satan and all his cohorts are pulling down fatherhood and motherhood, let’s raise up these roles to be mighty in the nation. When we do this, we reveal God in the earth.

Be encouraged.

Nancy Campbell

Painting by Katie Berggren

Psalm 106:24, 25 says: “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.“ The “pleasant land” was the home God chose for His people, but they despised it and murmured and complained.

God has chosen a “pleasant land” for you too. It is your home. The first home, which was the prototype of all homes to come, was called the garden of Eden. Eden means “delight” and God wants you to make your home a delight too.

The word “pleasant” in Psalm 106:24 also means “delightful, desirable and precious.” When God spoke to Daniel in Daniel 10:11, 19 He called him “greatly beloved” which is the same Hebrew word.

Dear sweet mother, I know life is not always easy in your home as you care for your little ones and face all the challenges of each day. But can I let you in on a secret? It is delightful or burdensome according to your attitude. Nothing influential or powerful in this life is easy. It takes hard work and commitment. It’s the same with mothering in your home.

If you are in the grumbling and despising state, change your attitude today. Embrace your home. You are in the perfect will of God. Delight in it. And commit to making your home a delight--for your husband, your children, and even for yourself.

Love to you today,

Nancy Campbell

Every day we face the fight. But we don’t face it in defeat. We have the power of Christ living within us to overcome. The rewards are for the overcomers. Peter continues to tell the believers how to react to their reproaches and sufferings. His words are a little different to what we would expect.

1. REJOICE (verse 13). It is joy that comes as a result of God’s grace in our lives. We don’t rejoice because we feel like it, but because we know that God is in control. He has the bigger picture. He is working everything out for final good.

2. EXCEEDING JOY (verse 13). These words are “agalliao” in the Greek which comes from two roots words: “agan” meaning VERY MUCH; and “aliomai” meaning TO LEAP. It is the same word used in Matthew 5:11, 12: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be EXCEEDING GLAD: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

When going through trials and persecution we are to leap for joy. Not only a little skip. We are to leap VERY MUCH. Or in other words, “to leap and skip about with excessive or ecstatic joy and delight.” My, I sure have to change my attitude. What about you?

3. HAPPY (verse 14). This word means more than superficial happiness. It is to be fully satisfied in whatever situation I am in (favorable or not), because Christ lives in me. Because Christ indwells me-- and nothing takes Him by surprise or gets Him in a state of tension--I do not have to cave in. And God says that when we are reproached for the name of Christ His glorious spirit rests upon us.

Keep your chin up. Look up to the Lord and trust in Him. He has everything that is happening to you in His control, even when it looks impossible.

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

The Bible always shows us the way:
Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy MIGHT.”

Colossians 3:23, 24: “And whatsoever ye do, do it HEARTILY, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the GLORY OF GOD.”

Philippians 2:14: “Do all things WITHOUT MURMURING.”

Matthew 25:21, 23 and Luke 16:10: “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much.”

Enjoy a great day in your home today as each one does everything with all their might.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

AND WE WOULD NEVER EVER, EVER BE WITHOUT THIS PRECIOUS CHILD.

God's plans are always better than ours.

I’m sure that many of you have testimonies about this.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Dear wives and mothers, I know that many of you are so busy in your homes that you often don’t know what’s going on in the country politically You’re not even interested in politics. I don’t want Above Rubies to be political either. It is totally for encouraging wives, mothers, and homemakers in their God-given mandate.

However, I realize the seriousness of the situation in our nation currently and need to encourage you to become political for a little while—for the sake of your families. This goes beyond politics. This is about FAMILY! What we do now determines the future of our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. Future generations. Do you think about the future of your precious children and what kind of environment they will live in?

PREPARE!
It is time to become a voice to count for righteousness. To protect our children. Therefore, we must get ready. Are you registered to vote for the coming mid-term elections on November 6? If not, get registered right away. You must register before 9 October, so there’s not much time. You can do it locally or online.

Do you have children 18 years and over? Make sure they are registered. Please don’t waste their vote. Your young people can help turn the tide. Every single vote counts. It’s a priority.

PROACTIVE!
Why am I encouraging you to vote? Because this is no longer a choice between political parties, between Democrat and Republican. There was a time when people could choose between. But now the current Democrat party has moved far beyond where they used to be. They are now the party of extreme socialism and fascism. They want communism back.

Already we live in a nation that is completely unbiblical. This party advocates homosexuality which is now is condoned by law of our land and yet it is an abomination in the eyes of God. They are desperate to keep the laws of abortion which allow babies to be murdered up to the third trimester. They do not want to protect our nation but want open borders. They want sanctuary cities, so we can harbor terrorists and criminals.

This is only the beginning. They are no longer subtly working but FIGHTING TOOTH AND NAIL! Screaming and yelling. They hate God and hate Christians and if they get in persecution will begin. They are supposedly intelligent people, but their thinking is ridiculous. Because they don’t want God in their lives or decisions, He gives them over to a “reprobate mind,” undiscerning and void of judgment (Romans 1:28).

Years back the rhetoric of the feminists was to say they didn’t need men. Now they have gone further. They want to castrate them. They want to eradicate their role in society. Did you hear the senator from Hawaii state publicly: “All men, SHUT UP!”

We don’t want this environment for our precious children and grandchildren, do we?

Therefore, we must be proactive and do something. The most important thing is to VOTE IN THESE MID-TERM ELECTIONS. Even if you’ve never done it before, do it this time.

PRAY!
And of course, pray. I am sure you are praying. Praying with your children morning and evening for our nation and for God to save us from this fascism coming into our nation. Pray against the liberal media that daily fills our nation with lies, deception, and propaganda.

Pray for the youth in our colleges who are being dumbed down and propagandized with all this nonsense by their liberal professors. Pray for a mighty move of God amongst our high schools and colleges. These youth are the future of our nation. What they believe determines the future of our country.

We can’t pray effectively if we don’t know who to pray for. We must pray for our president daily and those surrounding him. Do you know the name of the Secretary of State? Secretary of Defense, The Senate Leader? National Security Advisor? And so on. Do your children know who they are?

1 Timothy 2:1-4: “I exhort therefore, that FIRST OF ALL, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For KINGS, and for ALL THAT ARE IN AUTHORITY: that we may lead a quiet and peace le life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

We have a prayer box which we use at our prayer times in our home called OUR NATION-CHANGING PRAYER BOX. We include the names of our national leaders and the important issues to pray for in our nation. That way, we don’t forget.

We notice that when the righteous get into authority there is more opportunity for people to come to Jesus and the truth. Let ’s pray for the right environment in our nation.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION.

Love and blessings to you today,

Nancy