What I'm Learning

We are going through a parenting study on DVD in Sunday School by Chip Ingram. We will start our fourth session tomorrow. I think I can speak for the whole class when I say we have all been encouraged.

Some of the points he discusses I feel like we are good at such as quality family time, affection, praying often with our children. Other aspects need some work. We need to be more consistent, demanding instant obedience. We have tried hard for the last several weeks. It is sooo hard because honestly I get tired of spanking Libby. I feel awful when I have to. It breaks my heart, but I know it's for her benefit and her good.

How will she ever grow up to obey her Heavenly Father whom she hasn't seen if she can't obey her earthly parents whom she does see? Children will have an easier time obeying the still small voice of the Lord if they learn to obey yours at a young age.

Joey has been praying for the Lord to help him be consistent with family devotions. The nights we are at home, we have been doing them. We are reading through John in small portions that Libby can handle. Joey discusses the portion with us in a way she can understand. We sing several songs together. Not just kid songs, but songs with a story. She loves to sing Amazing Grace, Jesus Paid It All, and Victory in Jesus. She knows the verses by heart. Some of her other favorites are Do Lord, The Lord's Army, and If You're Happy and You Know It. We share requests. Joey prays and then Libby wants to pray.

We purchased "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Loyd-Jones. Her husband is Martin Loyd-Jones, one of the great modern day theologians. In my opinion it's the best Bible story book for kids. Each story points back to Christ. We also use that as part of our devotion time.

We are striving as a family to incorporate more doctrinal truth and teachable moments as we go about our day.

Like Chip Ingram said, sex, language, and violence is easy to spot in movies and TV. But where we are subtly pulled in is when a woman from a bad marriage becomes involved with a man from a bad marriage and somehow we find ourselves rooting for them. He said a teachable moment there would be to stop the movie or turn the TV off and talk to your older kids why that is not ok and how that lifestyle doesn't honor the Lord. Instead of letting things like that slide, take time to address them.

You can do that with little ones too. When another child in Wal-Mart is talking disrespectfully to her mother or throwing a fit, take time to address the situation. Tell them Jesus wants us to talk sweet to our parents and that it pleases Him when we are kind to others. Find teachable moments. They are there.

Sooooo, that is what we are learning to do. I have failed. I will continue to fail. I am praying for wisdom. We have one shot on this parenting journey. I don't want to mess it up. Other things you might can blame on someone else. You can't blame your parenting mishaps on someone else.

If you feel like you have failed. You aren't alone. There is forgiveness and restoration from the Lord. Pray. Ask for wisdom and start today making a difference in your home. Your children's souls are at stake.

Home Destroyers Part 2B

HOME DESTROYERS
Part 2b

Proverbs 13:18, “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored.”

We continue talking today about the home destroyer of foolishness.

We pull it down by not preparing for the future. As you read through Proverbs 31 again you will notice that the virtuous woman did not live just for the day, but prepared her home and household for whatever lay ahead.

Proverbs 31:27 says, “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the read of idleness.” The words “looks well” are translated from the Hebrew word tsaphah. It has two meanings—

a) To watch. It is the same word that is used for a watchman who watches to protect the city, e.g. Ezekiel 33:7. The wise woman is a watchwoman. She guards her home and her children’s lives. She does not leave her post. She guards over what they see, hear and read. She watches over her home to keep everything in order. She does not let things get out of control.

b) To lean forward, to peer into the distance. The wise woman does not think only about today, but about the future. She has food and necessities prepared in case of emergency. She has made strategies with her family so that they know what to do in a crisis. She is ready for whatever may happen.

Proverbs 31:18 says that “her lamp goes not out by night.” No, don’t feel guilty. she is not working all night! Back in Bible days, they did not have electricity. Therefore, they kept a lamp burning, ready for any emergency. The dogs may bark at some intrusion or the baby wakes. They need to have the lamp ready to investigate or to minister to the needs of the baby or children. It could be catastrophic for a family to run out of oil for the lamp. The wise woman always made sure she had enough oil to keep the lamp burning continually.

Jesus told a story about this in Matthew 25:1-13. The wise virgins took not only their lamps but extra oil with them. The foolish didn’t think of anything but the moment, and of course they ran out of oil! And they missed the coming of the bridegroom! What did Jesus call these women? Yes, we know. Foolish!

We pull it down by being stubborn. Proverbs 1:7 says, “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:22) The foolish woman thinks she knows it all and she does not like to be corrected. The wise woman knows that she constantly needs correction from the Lord. Even from her husband and others in order to keep learning and walking in the ways of the Lord. I don’t always like it when my husband corrects me but I know it keeps me on the right track. I want to receive correction and wisdom from others because I don’t want to stay the same. I still have so much changing and learning to do. I want to have a soft heart to hear what God tells me.

The Scriptures tell us over and over again that it is the wise who will receive instruction and correction. The word that is used continually is “hear”. Hear instruction. Hear counsel. Listen to rebuke. The word “hear” is shama in the Hebrew. It means “to hear with attention or obedience, to give undivided listening attention.” This should be our attitude toward correction and advice, rather than being reactionary. I notice that the word heart is a t added to hear. To have a heart that is soft and pliable, we have to have to hear what God wants to say to us, not only through His Word, but through others.

Much of what we do and think is conditioned by our deceived humanistic society. It is so much part of everything around us that we think it is normal. But the world’s normal does not always match the Word of God. We must continually seek God and His Word for His truth. We must constantly check to seek if we are lining up with His plan for motherhood and family life.
I have had to change and repent about so many things over the years and I know that God has still so much to teach me. We must always be open to God’s truth. Read the beautiful family Psalms (Psalm 127 and 128) every week. They keep you in line with God’s heart rather than the humanistic thinking of this world.

Sometimes we have to humble our ears to hear counsel. Proverbs 22:17 says, “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.”

We need to take notice of Proverbs 8:33, “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” Also Proverbs 15:32, “He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding.”

You can read more Scriptures about receiving instruction below.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:
“Lord, please give me a hearing heart that is open to correction. I know that as I am open to correction, my children will be more open to correction too. Thank you, Lord. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:
I’m a watchman in my home, I will not vacate my post! I’m open to wise correction And filled with the Holy Ghost!

If you are interested in more articles from Nancy Campbell, go to the Above Rubies website

Home Destroyers Part 2

This the second part of the e-newsletter sent by Nancy Campbell. Take what is for you, but don't feel condemnation. That certainly is not her intention. She shares what God puts on her heart so may what is meant for you bless and encourage you. I know I need help guarding my tongue all the time and I KNOW I need to turn off the flow at times. May the Lord remind me when it's time!!


Jeremiah 4:22 RSV, "For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. "

Today we continue talking about things that destroy the home.

FOOLISHNESS
Proverbs 14:1, "Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish plucks it down with her hands."

What does it mean to be foolish? Simply, it means to do it my way rather than God's way. God's way, although different to my way always ends in blessing. My way, although it may look good, always ends in destruction.

If we are not building our home, we are pulling it down. How do we pull it down?

1. We pull it down by vacating the home.God wants the mother in the home--nurturing, nourishing and training her children. We can't do everything successfully. We either build up a business (usually someone else's business) or we build up our home. God has given us a full time job to tend our little flock. God gives a warning to the mother shepherdess when He says in Zechariah 11:17, "Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock!" Notice that this Scripture has an exclamation mark!

2. We pull it down by our words.Negative words. Critical words. Reactive words. Spiteful words. Angry words. And on it goes.

We build our home with words or we destroy our home with words!

When God allowed Satan to get at his servant Job, he smote him with terrible boils from the top of his head to the sole of his feet Job was in agony and pain. Instead of encouraging him, Job's wife said, "Do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die." Job replied, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:9-10)

Do you speak as one of the foolish women, or one of the wise?

Sometimes it may not be negative words. It may be wasteful words. Proverbs 15:2 says, "The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. " Often we speak unnecessary words when we should keep out mouths shut. I am always challenged by Proverbs 10:19, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." The more we blab on about anything and everything, the more opportunity there is to sin with our mouth. The NLT makes it clearer, "Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!"

3. We pull it down by spending frivolously and unwisely.The foolish woman buys according to her whims and what takes her fancy. She buys groceries without thought for nutrition or without reading the ingredients. She fills her cupboards with devitalized packaged foods instead of cooking from scratch. She purchases unnecessary "things" to fill her home which could be used for wiser needs.

Proverbs 21:20 says, "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man (or woman) spendeth it up." The foolish woman spends more than her husband can afford. The wise woman lives frugally within her means. I often have to remind my new adopted daughters that we don't have to eat what we want whenever we want. We must learn to live thriftily rather than extravagantly.

4. We pull it down by wasting.Many women not only waste time but waste products. They throw out everything. It is not wise to be a hoarder and clutter up your home, but there are many things that can be re-used to save re-spending.

Many mothers allow their children to pick at their food and leave it on their plate without teaching them to eat what is in front of them. Good food is thrown in the trash. This is wasteful.

May God deliver us from being in the "foolish women category" that pulls down their home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER: "Father, please touch my lips with coals from off the altar. I don't want to speak negative words. Fill my mouth with encouraging and life-giving words that will build up my husband and my children. Amen."


AFFIRMATION: Building up my home with uplifting words, To do anything else is utterly absurd!

Home Destroyers

I receive Nancy Campbell's e-newsletter and thought it was worth sharing.

HOME DESTROYERS Part 1

1 Timothy 6:8, "Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content."

Reading through Proverbs recently I noticed that it mentions five things that destroy the home. I prefer not to write about negative things, but, on the other hand, we can't wipe any of God's Word under the mat. And God's negatives always turn to positives. When we read His warning signs which mean, ROAD BLOCK, WRONG WAY-GO BACK or DEAD END we know that it is not the road to take, even though it looks beautiful and such an easy road. We must swerve back on the road God has planned for us from the beginning of time. God has never changed his plans. His ways are still the only ones that work effectively.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

Let's look at some of these WRONG WAY signs.

1. GREEDINESS Proverbs 15:27, "He that is greedy of gain troubles his own house." No wonder one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house... thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife... nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." (Exodus 20: 17) When we see friends with things that we don't have it is easy to hanker after them too. Most people like to be like everyone else and have everything that their associates have. How can this negatively affect the home?

a) By becoming despondent and full of self-pity because we can't afford what we want. This takes away our joy of living and being "content with such things as we have." (Hebrews 3:5-6)

b) As we crave a better house and more things to put in the house we start to plan how we can get these things. Ideas take shape. That's it! I could do what everyone else is doing who has more things. I could go out and get a job! Yes, that's the answer. But is it? To go out and get a job you have to leave the home behind. You have to vacate the very place where God wants you to be--in the heart of the home. (Psalm 1228:3) You have to put your children in daycare or leave them with someone else. God didn't give your children to you to give them to someone else to look after! He gives the responsibility to you. You are the only one who can truly nurture and nourish your baby and children.

c) The home becomes a show piece of material riches rather than filling it with the true riches of children. When you get your eyes on material riches, children become a nuisance. May God save us from a greedy spirit.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

Prayer: "Father, I pray that you will take every spirit of greediness from me. Give me a contented spirit. Help me to enjoy the riches you have given me - my precious children and the (little) house you have provided for me. I thank you for the blessing of food and clothing. Amen"
Affirmation: Content in my home, that's for me, With coveting gone, I'm now free!

Daily Devo

*This is John MacArthur's daily devotional and I thought it was timely so I'm sharing it with all of you.

Materialistic Christians


“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth.” - Matthew 6:19
You cannot pursue both God and riches.

Ours is a society consumed with material things. Status, success, and importance are all too often measured by a person’s financial worth. Those with wealth flaunt it; those without wealth fake it. People often rack up huge debts in their desperate and futile pursuit of happiness through accumulating material things.

Sadly, that same materialistic mind-set permeates the church. Instead of offering an alternative, that of being distinct from the world, the church joins the world in its pursuit of riches. Most tragically of all, the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is lost in the process.

It is not wrong to have possessions. Job, Abraham, and Solomon were among the wealthiest men of their day. But it is wrong to covet, to make the pursuit of material things the main goal of your life, to serve mammon instead of God. “Do not love the world,” wrote the apostle John, “nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). James addressed these scathing words to those whose focus is on material things: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Behind much of the pursuit of riches in the church is a lack of trust in God’s provision. Instead of finding security in His promise to supply all our needs (Phil. 4:19), we seek it in a house, a bank account, or a stock portfolio. God did not give us our money and possessions so we wouldn’t have to trust Him. He gave them to us to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17) and to test the legitimacy of our spirituality (Luke 16:11). Whether you are rich or poor, your attitude toward your possessions and how you handle them is a test of your spirituality. How are you doing?

Suggestions for Prayer: Pray with Agur, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Prov. 30:8-9).

For Further Study: What do the following verses teach about our attitude toward wealth: Psalms 49:5-9; 52:7; 62:10?

Wounded Pride and Thwarted Dreams

*Note: I am sending this to you from one of the blogs I read daily. You know how sometimes you have things on your heart, but you don't how to put it into words and type it where it makes sense? Kerry did a superb job of putting into words what has been on my heart recently at times so why try to say what someone else has already said and has said it ten times better than I could have? I don't get credit for this one. Meditate on her words and may it encourage your heart.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” I Timothy 6:6 “

Much of your energy is wasted on wounded pride and thwarted dreams,” were the words of my devotional this morning that jumped off the page and pierced my very soul.

In this recent season of life I have felt misunderstood by others, but instead of taking these hurts to Jesus, I fed my wounded pride with self-pity to the point of completely falling apart. In one situation, I lost my temper and was very hurtful with my words! My reaction was out of proportion to the situation, and this was a result of stored hurts that had compiled over time. I had not been taking every thought captive nor trusting God. In my anger, I chose to sin, and seeing this anger come flowing from my inmost parts brought me to my knees. I started out angry at others and ended up more angry at myself. In some little country church far from home, I found myself on my face crying out to God and asking Him to show me where I belong. “This road I am traveling seems far too difficult Lord! I must be going the wrong way. How can I get where I am going on an easier and safer path?”

After I calmed down a bit, I decided that surely God must have something to say to me. I looked for a Bible in the pew, and all I could find was an old hymnal. I opened it and came right to the song entitled, “The way of the cross leads home.” How had I forgotten that the way home, to that place of rest, safety and security, is only through the cross? Somehow these words brought me the most profound comfort. It may be a hard road I am traveling, but that doesn’t mean it is the wrong road. My Savior walked the Calvary Road.

I want so much to be free, yet I make too many internal choices to keep myself bound in my own “wounded pride.” In my oversensitivity, I magnify the degree of injury and fail to take each issue of pain and hurt to Jesus soon enough. God has been showing me that my demand to be understood and loved by all those in my life all the time is really just a lack of humility and trust in God. My demand to be loved and understood is really my own pride and an unwillingness to wait on God’s timing. True freedom comes from walking God’s way…in praise and peace, humility, trust, love and contentment.

Seeking our safety and security in anything other than God is an idolatry that leads to bitterness and depression. Hope placed in anything or anyone other than God is misplaced hope that will provide a foothold for the Enemy to step into our lives and bring us down emotionally, mentally and spiritually. “Poor me” does not draw me to the cross…it just leads me into a “pity party” all by my lonesome. Focusing on my wounded pride and thwarted dreams had fueled a tendency in me to withdraw from others emotionally and to withhold real love and truth out of my own fear of getting hurt, and that just made me depressed and lonely.

Sitting in that church I knew that if was to survive the journey upon this road, I must be covered and empowered by His grace as much as possible. Grumbling, complaining, self-pity and pride will always cut off His grace in my life. The Calvary Road is the road of humility. Clearly I had not chosen humility. My temper and unkind words blatantly revealed that I had some real repenting to do before God and before men. I remembered how Jesus was silent before his oppressors when he was being wrongly accused, and the only time he spoke up was not to defend Himself, but to proclaim the truth in love.

Humility and gratitude are the keys that unlock the prisons that so often confine us! If I want God’s presence, then I must also choose to praise. I realized that I focus far too much on those who are harming me rather than those who are loving me. I realized that I focus on what I have lost and not on what I have been given. I realized that I have chosen to compare myself to those who are in sin and not to the God who has called me to be like Him. My devotional this morning ended with these words, “Remember that gratitude and grumbling cannot dwell together. Choose which shall reign in the depths of your heart and soul.”

In my great self-love, I had forgotten one very important truth found in I Peter 5:6, to which I am now choosing to cling, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:6).

Kerry Hasenbalg