WE MUST TAKE ACTION

“But the people that do KNOW THEIR GOD
shall be strong and DO EXPLOITS”
(Daniel 11:32)

Is your heart burdened abgout what is happening around the world? There is so much evil being exposed. But we can’t just exclaim, “Oh, how terrible” and do nothing. We must take action.

I am always challenged by Daniel 11:32: “But the people that do KNOW THEIR GOD shall be strong and DO EXPLOITS.” Actually, to be true to the letter, the word “exploits” is not in the original but is placed there for understanding. In the Hebrew the Scripture ends at the word “do.” But of course, that means DO. That means to TAKE ACTION. The New English Translation Commentary says that the word “exploits” is a reference to the bravery of the Maccabees when as a minority they fought against Antiochus Epiphanes who wanted to eradicate Israel. They stood up against evil in the face of impossible odds.

Many other translations say: “But the people who know their God will be strong and TAKE ACTION.”

The NLT says: “But the people who know their God will be strong and will RESIST him.” The CEB says they “will strand strong and WILL ACT.”

I think of the terrible display of mockery at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. What is this world coming to that transgenderites can openly portray their evil by lewdly portraying the Lord’s Supper, the last meal Jesus had with His disciples before He went to the agony of the cross to die for our sins, and for their sins.

We shudder at the blatant displaying of such sacrilege. And so we should. Romans 12:9 states “Abhor that which is evil.” And the word literally means to shudder at evil.

We must pray against this evil but we must also take action. How can any God-fearing person with a good conscience before God watch the Olympics this year? To go ahead and watch them is to side with this evil. I have always loved watching the Olympics. I am amazed by the incredible expertise of the competitors. But this year I will not watch. I cannot watch. I dare not side with such evil. Will you also join so many other hundreds of Christians who are boycotting these games?

Dear mothers, if we don’t stand up against evil, it will encroach more and more upon us. Have you watched the videos of hundreds and hundreds of communists marching the streets of Philadelphia waving their big red flags. This is not in China. This is in USA!

We must take action. We must pray. And we must be ready to vote. We must vote against this current administration that wants to bring in extreme socialism. Don’t be fooled. This is their plan. And to not vote is to give a vote to the other side. And you dare not vote for an administration that believes in abortion right up until the baby is born, and even after the baby is born!

Everyone must vote for President Trump in this coming election, or our country is doomed. Why did they want to assassinate Trump, and still do? Because he is against their communist takeover. He is for our country and for “we the people.”

We must encourage every one we know to vote. If your children are now 18, make sure they are registered to vote.

I am sure you have heard the results of the latest election in Venezuela last Sunday. Seventy percent of the people voted against Madura and his communist dictatorship. Was their vote heard? No. Instead of conceding Madura sent his military to the streets to shoot their own people. The country is now militarized. Eleven more were killed last night including children. The government is rioting and persecuting the people.

For 25 years now Venezuela has been under communist rule. They were once the richest country in South America. Now, under communist rule, they are the poorest. The average wage is $5.00 a month. How do I know these things. We have a Venezuela man in our church fellowship who is touch with his family daily and who keep him abreast of all that is going on.

He continually warns us, telling us with tears in his eyes that everything he sees happening here in the United States was happening in Venezuela leading up to the communist takeover.

Daniel 11:32 must become our Scripture in this hour. We must teach it to our children. We must pray daily with our children for God to save this country. We must stand against evil. We must prepare to vote.

Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

Dear Lord Jesus, my heart grieves as I see all the evil happening in this world. Please strengthen me to expose it and resist it. Help me to never get used to it. Help me to be bold and courageous to stand against all these evils. Dear Lord Jesus, You came to destroy the works of the devil. Now You dwell in me by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Now you want to destroy the works of the devil through me. Help me to be a devil destroyer. In the name of Jesus, Amen,”

AFFIRMATION:

I will not be silent in the face of evil. I will expose it, speak against it pray against it, and vote against it.

WHAT VOICES DO YOU HEAR?

“Set me free and rescue me from the grasp of foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. Then our sons will be like plants, nurtured in their youth, our daughters, like corner pillars that are carved in the palace style”
(Psalm 144:11, 12 HCSB).

There are so many voices in the world. What voices are you hearing? Do we hear Do you hear Jesus’ voice speaking to you? If our ears and mind are filled with all the voices of the world around us, it is difficult to hear His voice. But Jesus’ voice is the only voice of truth (John 14:6). Other voices may seem like the truth. They may sound wise, but they can deceive us.

When Satan came to tempt Eve, he didn’t tempt her with blatant wickedness. He knew Eve would not be tempted with deliberate evil, therefore he tempted her with that which seemed wise, good, and pleasant to the eyes (Genesis 3:6). This is how he continues to deceive us.

John 10:3-5 says: “The sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

What powerful words. We must get to know the voice of Jesus and so we can discern the voice of strangers. WE MUST NEVER LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF STRANGERS! That means all that is foreign to God, His truth, and His word.

What a powerful mandate we have from God to teach our precious children to hear the voice of God and how to discern the voices of strangers. We are most careful to teach our children to never listen to a stranger on the street or go with a stranger. But are we teaching them to NEVER LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF STRANGERS IN THEIR EARS?

The voices of humanism, feminism, equalism, agnosticism, same-sexism, transgenderism, and atheism, etc. are prevalent in our society. They are strangers to God’s truth. And let’s get the message again. Jesus said that His sheep will NEVER LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF STRANGERS. They will run from them.

When we put our children in public school, we release them to listen to the voice of strangers, not because the teacher maybe a stranger, but the ideologies of our current school system are anti-God ideologies. They advocate alternative lifestyles rather than biblical, evolution rather than creation, abortion rather than life, and anarchy rather than patriotism, etc. Many of the young people protesting and rioting in our colleges and on the streets are victims of our high school and college brainwashing.

Psalm 1:1, 2 states: “Blessed is the man that walks NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, NOR stands in the way of sinners, NOR sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD.”

David was so concerned about the voice of strangers in the land of Israel that he prayed: “Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speak vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The NET says: “Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, who speak lies . . .” He cried out this prayer two times in Psalm 144, verses 7 and 11. 

Why did he pray this prayer? Because he wanted the sons of Israel to be like “plants grown up in their youth” and the daughters of Israel to be like the “corner stones of a palace.” His concern was that the children and young people would not be deceived by lies but walk in truth.

Do your children hear the words of Jesus each day? Are you filling them with the truth of God’s word? Or are they filled with strange voices from public school or from their iPhones and social media?

We must teach our children to RUN FROM the voice of strangers. This is a huge part of your parenting.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I want to know Your voice clearly speaking to me. I want my children to get to know Your voice so they will discern the voice of strangers. Help me to faithfully teach them Your truths and Your words to them. Help me to fill them up to the top with Your words for it is only Your living Word that exposes the lies of the devil. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

God’s word is a lie detector. I am filling my children with God’s truths so they will grow up discerning the lies of the devil.

MARRIAGE – A PLACE OF REST

“My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,
and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places”
(Isaiah 32: 18).

Did you know that the Bible likens marriage to a resting place? Does that really sound possible? Two times in the story of Ruth, Naomi talks about marriage as a place of rest.

Firstly, in Ruth 1:9 (NET) she says to both her daughters-in-law: “May the LORD enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband!” The King James Bible says: “that ye may find rest.”

The word rest is menuchah and means “repose, peaceful, consolation, an abode, quiet, comfort, refreshment, a resting place, and specifically matrimony.” It’s the same word that is used in Psalm 23:2 where our Good Shepherd leads us beside the “still waters.”

Then again, in Ruth 3:1 Naomi speaks to Ruth who came back with her to Judah: “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?” The GNB translation says: “I must find a husband for you, so that you will have a home of your own.” Naomi was concerned to find a husband for Ruth. This time the Hebrew word is manoach with a very similar meaning, “a settled spot, a home, a place of rest.” Isn’t that a beautiful picture of marriage?

Sadly, this is not always the picture of marriage relationships today.  Yet this is what God intends. Marriage provides security, stability, provision, and a resting place to fulfil our God-given career of mothering and nurturing. It is difficult for single moms to cope with providing for their children, nurturing, and making a home at the same time. There are many who find themselves in this position through no fault of their own and they need much encouragement and help.

But God intends the home to have a husband and a wife. When a husband knows his mandate from God to provide for his wife and family and to protect and guard them, a wife can live in quietness and rest. She can give herself to the work of managing her home and caring for her children.

Did you notice I said work? “But you are talking about rest” I hear you say. We can work hard and yet be at rest. To live in rest doesn’t mean that we sit around all day. I remember a very busy man of God who ended his correspondence, “Restfully busy.” When you are working hard and busy in your home, think of being “restfully busy.”

I believe that rest is a state of rest in our soul, free from the worries of providing for the family, and basking in the joy of mothering and homemaking. This is God’s glorious plan.

And this is why marriage is referred to as a resting place. Of course, Satan tries to disrupt the rest that God intends. He wants to destroy every plan of God. Therefore, we must always be on the lookout for his insidious ways. We must watch out that we don’t take on too many other things outside the home. We must guard against tension and evil creeping into the home. We must resist all rebellions and selfish attitudes. And especially bitterness and hardness of heart.

It is very grievous to know that the average length for marriage in USA is only seven years! I believe this is because we have left God’s plan for marriage and imbibed the liberal and selfish lifestyle. When we are prepared to submit to God’s way, we will walk in His blessings.

Marriage is all to do with our attitudes and we can choose which attitude we will take. It’s easy to take the negative one, not so easy to take the godly attitude, but we can do it with God’s enabling.

Let’s seek to make our marriages and homes places of rest.

PRAYER

“Dear Father God, I thank You that You are the author of marriage. I am willing to learn to be obedient to Your wondrous ways because they are the ways that work. Thank You for showing me the way to have a marriage of rest. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am enjoying a restful marriage because I am walking in God’s ways.

THERE’S NO FUN LIKE HARD WORK

“The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden 
to work it and watch over it”
(Genesis 2:15 HCSB).

My father had many “sayings.” This was one of them. And he believed it. He loved work. I think he was the most hardworking man I have ever seen in my life. He was never happier than when he was working.

Do you love work? When I was a child, I used to think that God gave work as part of the curse! But of course, that’s a lie. God introduced work at the very beginning. As soon as God created the garden home, He put the man in it to work and guard it. The Hebrew word “avad” for work means “to serve, till, labor, to make weary.” That sounds like hard work.

Work Releases Creativity

Physical work is a blessing. It releases creativity. It actually precedes creativity. As we work, we think of better ways of doing things. More efficient. More ingenious. And then of course, as we think of these things, we get involved in more work. And that releases more creativity. Isn’t that exciting?

Let’s embrace work with a joyful and exciting attitude. Let’s have the right confession. Do you ever say, “I love work.”? I love to say these words.

Get your children to love work. This is a very important habit to instill in them while they are young. It breaks my heart to see lazy children who don’t want to work. They haven’t been trained. We must train our children to work. Not by nagging them. Not by yelling at them to stop being lazy. Not by punishing them. But by encouraging them. By thinking of ways to show them how to make it fun.

Work Releases Human Dignity

Work is part of human dignity. Work is an expression of the image of God. He is a Creator and therefore He works. After resting on the seventh day, He began working again. He created the Garden of Eden and then He planted a garden. Yes, God, the ruler of the universe, prepared the soil and put His hands right into the soil and planted (Genesis 2:8)! Some people think they are better than God and they would rather not get their hands dirty. Proverbs 12:11 (CEB) says: “Those who work their land will have plenty to eat, but those who engage in empty pursuits have no sense.”

Jesus said: “My Father is always working, and so am I” (John 5:17).

Work is Holy

God looks upon all work as holy, whether it is sacred or secular. Working in your home—scrubbing toilets, changing diapers, vacuuming, preparing meals, and washing dishes are just as sacred as the pastor preaching on Sunday. We often think of the priests as holy men of God. But the majority of them were butchers, slaughtering beasts and cutting them up all day long. They were tough and I am sure had well developed muscles. Others were bakers, cleaners, and gatekeepers are the temple doors (yes, they were bouncers!). And they were all holy and anointed for these “sacred” tasks.

Work is Worship

Another meaning of the word “avad” means “to worship.” Work is worship to God. When we do it with a willing and joyful spirit, we are actually worshipping God because He created us in His image to work! As you are busy working in your home, you are worshipping all day long.

Are you getting excited about work? Gather your children around and remind them how God created work for our blessing. It is holy and sacred. And when they do their chores with a willing heart, they are worshipping God. And if they try to do them to the best of their ability, God will show them better and quicker ways of doing them. And they’ll have more time for play!

I love work, don’t you?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Thank You for showing me that You have given work as a gift to my life. It is Your blessing to me— physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Help me to always work with a joyful and enthusiastic attitude. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I love work. It gets things done and makes things happen! It makes the world go round.