The celebration of the Feast of Dedication is over. Now we prepare and look forward to the most wonderful celebration in the history of the world--when Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth as a little baby. We know that this was not the actual time of his birth, but it is the time we remember His miraculous incarnation.

Just as we celebrated that Christ is the Light of the world during Hanukkah, so we continue to celebrate that He is the Light. God spoke through the prophecy of Zacharias that He was sending His beloved Son into the world "TO GIVE LIGHT TO THEM THAT SIT IN DARKNESS and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79).

They had no room for the Light of the World in Bethlehem. Are we making room for Him in our lives? Every time we respond to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives and say Yes to God we open up to His light. When we are stubborn, want our own way, and say No to the convicting of the Holy Spirit, we choose darkness.

Dear mother, we must teach our children this powerful principle, too. Every time they say Yes to you and Yes to the Holy Spirit speaking to them they will receive more and more light into their lives. When they are disobedient and say No to you, and No to the voice of their conscience they bring more darkness into their lives.

May we open up MORE AND MORE to the Light and less and less to the darkness. Proverbs 4:18 says, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth MORE AND MORE unto the perfect day." Each new day, individually and as a family, ask God to FLOOD YOU WITH HIS LIGHT.

Love from Nancy

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We read about a number of Hanukkah celebrations in God's Word.

1) Dedicating the tabernacle for 12 days. Each prince of Israel dedicated the altar for a day each (Number 7:10-11, 84, 88). This was the first dedication we read about.
2) Dedicating a new house (Deuteronomy 20:5). It is biblical to dedicate a new house.
3) Dedicating Solomon's temple which he built for the Lord (1 Kings 8:62; 2 Chronicles 7:5, 9).
4) Dedicating the rebuilt temple when they came back from Babylon--Zerubbabel's temple (Ezra 6:16).
5) Dedicating the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem(Nehemiah 12:27).

And there is one more! You'll never guess!

It is Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The word "train" is "hanuk," the verb of Hanukkah, meaning "to initiate, dedicate, consecrate." It is not enough to celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. As parents, we are in a FULLTIME HANUKKAH CELEBRATION!

When we understand that to train our children means to dedicate them to the Lord, it gives us new vision. Everything we do is now in the light of dedicating our children to the Lord and setting them apart for His service. It's not a one-time dedication. It is a verb which requires daily action.

When our children are disobedient or don't complete what we have asked them to, we can sometimes be lazy and let it go. But, not if we understand we are daily dedicating them to the Lord. How can we let things go when we consecrating them to God's holy service. We have the responsibility to train and prepare them for Him.

As children get older, they may become more worldly and want to do what other teens are doing. We could think, "Oh that is the stage they are going through." But, not if we understand that we are daily consecrating them to the Lord. We will pray up a storm. We will fight the devil. We will work with our children to keep them on the narrow road that leads to life. We will do everything to save them from the broad road that leads to destruction. WE ARE HANUKKAH PARENTS!

When we "hanuk" our children, it determines how we educate our children. It would be ludicrous to send our children into a an ungodly education system each day when we are daily consecrating them for God's purposes.

As we consecrate our children to the Lord, we recognize that they totally belong to the Lord, for whatever time God has for them on this earth. Above everything else, we know that we are ultimately preparing them for eternity.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL




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Without God we live in darkness. He is the one who said, "Let there be light: and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Jesus is the Light of the world. He is "THE TRUE LIGHT,WHICH LIGHTS EVERY MAN THAT COMES INTO THE WORLD" John 1:9). Every person who is born into this world is without excuse regarding their relationship with God. Every new baby is born with a God consciousness, a light from God our Maker. We have a conscience that knows what is good and evil. This only comes from God.

Proverbs 20:27 says "The spirit of man is the candle (light) of the Lord." Have you noticed that when a new baby is born into a family that there is a heavenly atmosphere about the home? There is an "awe" that we only experience with a new babe. I believe we are experiencing a new light from heaven. I think this is why little children are so open to God. Recently I watched little 3-year old grand-daughter sing all day about how Jesus is in her heart and how she loves God.

Why then do many walk in darkness? The answer is in John 3:19-21. We are all born with a light from God, but we can either push back the light or open up more and more to the light. It is a privilege for children to be born into a home where parents love God. These children have an opportunity to open up more and more to the light. In an ungodly home, the light with which they are born can be gradually extinguished.

I believe that every time we say Yes to God and obey the prompting of His Holy Spirit within our hearts, we will experience more light in our lives. Every time we say No to God and are disobedient to the Word, we accept darkness. Teach your children this principle, dear mother. Teach them that saying Yes to you and Yes to God will bring them to more and more light. Teach them when they say No to you and No to God's ways, their minds and hearts will cloud with darkness.

Job 18:5-56 says, "Yes, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him." I don't want it to be dark in my home. I'm sure you don't want it to be dark in yours either. Let's open our hearts and minds more and more to the light of God. Begin each day by praying, "Lord, please flood my mind and heart with your light, today."

Love from Nancy
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Judas Maccabee and his brothers were continually fighting battles to save Israel and every time they faced armies far larger and stronger than themselves, but their trust was in God.

Listen to Judas' confession on one occasion... "When all his followers saw the host coming against them, they said to Judas, 'How can so few of us fight against so many? Besides, we have had nothing to eat all day, and we are exhausted.' Judas replied: 'Many can easily be overpowered by a few; it makes no difference to Heaven to save by many or by few. Victory does not depend on numbers; strength comes from Heaven alone... Heaven will crush them before our eyes. You need not be afraid of them.'"

I know that you, too, often face dilemmas that loom much bigger than you can handle. Don't focus on your difficulty. Look to God. He is your Strength. He is your Source. He is your Sufficiency. He will always do what you cannot do. When we try to handle our problems we usually make a mess of the job. Put them in God's hands for He knows what is best to do.

Victory does not come by intelligence or fleshly strength. It only comes from God. Just as God delivered the Maccabees over and over again as they faced insurmountable armies, so God will deliver you as you trust in Him. Make sure you have the right confession. Don't confess your problems; confess your trust in God. It's the way to victory.

Love from Nancy
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