Treasures of Truth ministries . . . helping

women connect with truth that will

transform their world.

With 6 million copies of the book in print and millions having viewed the film, many are obviously interested in creating a better life for themselves. A person who is familiar with the Bible is, by now, thinking that some of this sounds very familiar. The word of God was initially written on scrolls, believers give testimonies of transformed lives, we are taught that we reap what we sow, and we, too, know that positive thoughts and speech can have a powerful impact on our life.

^“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. . . . “ (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

“. . . the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Proverbs 12:18 NKJV).

^“Death and life are in the power of the tongue . . . “(Proverbs 18:21 NKJV).

"Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NKJV).

^“Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things.  Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way” (^NKJ Proverbs 23:16, 19 NKJV).

Before you become convinced that a believer can embrace “The Secret”, however, there are some important facts to ponder.

Just as counterfeit money has enough similarities to pass for the authentic, counterfeit teaching incorporates just enough truth to be deceptive and dangerous.
It takes a very discerning eye to know the difference.

 For example, notice the similarities in these two miracles:  

^“Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Show a miracle for yourselves,' then you shall say to Aaron, “Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent”’ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent” (Exodus 7:8-10 NKJV).

^“But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments” (Exodus 7:11 NKJV).

The Bible reveals that, up to this point, the sorcerers, wise men, and magicians produced the same results that Aaron produced.  Superficial analysis would lead one to believe something that is very popular today - the belief that there  are any of a number of approaches and, therefore, many paths to the same desired purpose.  After all, what do both of these examples have in common?  Aaron, the wise men, sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt all “produced” what appeared to be the same amazing transformation.

Verse 12, however, reveals the difference in the two.

^“For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods” (Exodus 7:12 NKJV).

Though the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians could emulate what Aaron did, what they produced was brought to a halt by, and subject to, a greater power - the power of God.  Therefore, what they produced ceased to exist when Aaron’s rod swallowed their rods.  Aaron’s miracle was authorized and empowered by God. “When the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron “, they proceeded in accordance with God’s word and with the confidence that He would bring it to pass. The transformation produced by the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians, however, was encouraged and initiated by Pharaoh, a man. 

We all desire a rich, full life.  Why, however, would “wise men and women” today choose an approach that is authorized by man over one which is empowered by God?

Many are mistaken because they do not know the Scriptures or understand the power of God. This is not a new problem.

^“Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24 NKJV).

Many years ago, Jesus spoke a parable about a very successful man who detailed his dream, spoke it, and empowered himself through positive affirmation.  He soon, however, discovered the limitations of pursuing a dream in which God is not involved. 

“’So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods” (Luke 12:18 NKJV).

'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' ( Luke 12:19 NKJV).

"But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' (Luke 12:20 NKJV).

And then, of course, he discovered what the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians experienced.  What He had possessed and produced ceased to be his.

"So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21 NKJV).

Here is the Genuine Secret:

^“the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.   . . .  is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27 NKJV).

^“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” ( Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV).

©2008 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

(Some words in the verses above were underlined or placed in bold for emphasis, and do not appear this way in the text from which they are taken.) 

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a)  fireworks
b)  the "tongue" (referring to your ability to speak)
c)  all of the above

If your answer is c, then you are correct! 

Fireworks are small, but powerful objects created for the purpose of producing  breathtaking displays and a celebratory noise.  Those same fireworks, however, can end up being duds, misfires, or missiles of destruction.

Likewise, the tongue is small, but extremely powerful.

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! . . . The tongue, a world of unrighteousness . . . pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:5,6 NKJV).

The tongue was created to speak blessing, but the words that proceed from it can also be meaningless duds, accidental misfires, or dangerous missiles of destruction.

“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so” ( James 3:10 NKJ).

In 1976, one of my sisters had about twenty friends over to celebrate the New Year by setting off scores of bottle rockets.  They had a fun, carefree, and thankfully incident free evening.  However, the next morning, our lawn was strewn with literally thousands of the foot-long rockets.  My sister and several of her friends gathered them into paper bags and then deposited the bags on a pile of recently cut tree trunks and limbs from land cleared for an addition to my parent’s home. Our city allowed the burning of this wood and New Year’s Day seemed a logical time to my dad to begin that process.  He lit the pile and headed inside for a cup of coffee to observe the fire from the den.  Suddenly, however, there was an unexpected explosion followed by dozens more as many unlit rockets from the night before began to be launched in every direction.  As the rest of the family watched the action thriller now taking place in the backyard from the safety of our home, my dad was running for cover while dodging the firing rockets.  He found refuge behind a large tree that shielded him from the scores of rockets that continued to erupt. 

Considering that bottle rockets can reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour, are very susceptible to ricochet, and can end up traveling in any direction but the one intended, this was a potentially dangerous situation.

Likewise, words often leave our mouth so quickly we speak before thinking, may ricochet and come back to haunt us, and can travel in any direction but the one intended. Unfortunately, words can also be thoughtlessly misplaced and lie dormant until they are lit at a later time and go off on an unsuspecting person. 

So, what are we supposed to do about this small, but unruly member of our body?  If we are going to carry something around as a potentially dangerous as an unlit bottle rocket, we need to spend some time learning how to safely launch it.

 ^“The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips” (Proverbs 16:23 NKJV).

For starters, spend some time learning what to say and what not to say.  Go to www.biblegateway.com and do a keyword search on the words “mouth”, “tongue”, “speak”, and “speech.”  Begin by checking out the verses you find in the Psalms and Proverbs.  Select a few to copy and paste onto a word document.  Then, print the document off to keep with you for meditation and memorization.

It will be time well spent, or perhaps I should say invested,  because giving attention to this area can bring great rewards.

^“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NKJV).

 ©2008  Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

(Some words from Scripture are underlined for emphasis and are not found this way in the text from which they were taken.)

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Week 3  “Code Red!”

Last Friday, our youngest son underwent a tonsillectomy.  My early morning time of prayer and Bible study provided a calm assurance that everything would be fine that day.  The rest in my spirit, however, would be tested before the morning was over. After waiting about three hours with no word from the operating room, a “Code Red!” announcement was repeated several times over the hospital’s loudspeaker.  My first thought was that something had probably happened in another part of the hospital  - until a light on the wall of our waiting room began to flash in conjunction with a siren.  Minutes seemed more like hours as I sat and pondered the meaning of “Code Red” and listened to the shrill sound of the siren. The calm I had experienced earlier began to slightly, though not totally, dissipate. 

What was happening to me included the components of any spiritual test - a choice to listen to the still small voice of God or the loud, blaring repetition of competing sounds.

The challenge of any spiritual test is for the spirit, soul, and body to all respond similarly in harmony and in faith.

It is easy enough for the spirit to be at rest until barraged by circumstances that tempt the mind, thoughts, and emotions of our soul to move in the wrong direction - producing anxiety, worry, fear, anger, or anything but faith.

As it turned out, the “Code Red” was the result of smoke in the cafeteria next door and I later learned that our son was actually taken back to surgery much later than we initially thought. Though it appeared that all was not well, it actually was.

Why, you may be wondering, is it so important for our spirit, soul, and body to be in harmony - even before we realize that all is well - or even worse, if all, humanly speaking, is not well. 

This harmony is what enables us to enjoy the “rest” that is intended to be ours, despite our circumstances.

^“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest . . . “ ⁽Hebrews 4:9,11 NKJV).

Yesterday, my son experienced excessive bleeding and was rushed back to surgery. 

It proved to be an opportunity for a “test retake.”  Hopefully, the higher score of the two experiences will be taken!

As we were leaving the hospital this morning, a familiar voice come over the loudspeaker, saying, once again, “Code Red! Code Red!” 

What an appropriate reminder to hear on our way out. While many tests are much more challenging than ours was, one thing is certain.

Life will always provide plenty of smoke screens to distract us from the rest God wants us to have, but “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).

©2008 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

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Week 4  One Grande Caramel Frappuccino, Please!

I ordered a Grande Caramel Frappuccino with whipped cream four days in a row this past week.  In case you’re wondering, I don’t need to be admitted to Starbucks rehab. They’re not for me.  Honest! I’ve been getting them for my son who is recovering from a tonsillectomy. My twenty year old son has lost over ten pounds because it is just too painful to eat.  Those frappuccinos, however, bring a smile to his face because they provide cool, icy, delicious, and refreshing relief for the raw, throbbing pain in his throat! 

I wlll admit that I like frappuccinos too, but that is not the very first thing on my list of pleasures that refresh.   At the top of my list would be the times I am most aware of the presence of the Lord.  Acts 3:19 explains the refreshing that comes from the presence of the Lord. 

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” (Acts 3:19 NKJV).

Don’t stop reading!!  Did your mood just change when you saw the word “repent”?  We have mistakenly taken that word out of the refreshing category, but think about how good it actually feels to know that those mistakes and sins that you have carried around for years are totally removed and remembered no more.

^“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12 NKJV).

Sin most certainly brings consequences, and maybe you are in severe pain right now because of it.  In recent months, while in a church in which I spoke, a woman shared with me some baggage she had been carrying with her for probably 20 or 30 years.  When I told her that it was unnecessary to carry that around any longer, she began to weep.  After we prayed about it, she said, “I feel so free now!”  Another woman recently said, “I never realized it was so easy to get rid of the guilt I have lived with every day for years!”  For some reason, repentance, the very act that brings refreshing, is a concept that is often avoided and misunderstood.  Unnecessary guilt results in a heavy burden that robs us of joy and is painful.  Repentance and conversion are refreshing!

Repent actually means “to change one’s mind.”  It’s not just being sorry you were caught. David’s prayer after his adulterous affair demonstrates what true repentance is.

^“. . . You desire truth in the inward parts, . . . Purify me . . . and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psalm 51:6,7,8,10,12 NKJV).

Here’s the truly great news.  Though the refreshing that comes with repentance is much more expensive than any uplifting pleasure we can imagine, it has been paid for by the death of Jesus on the cross. God just happens to be extremely generous.

You have a lifetime gift card available, ready to be claimed and used!  You can actually use it every single day and it won’t make you any heavier!!  In fact, you will actually feel lighter! Repentance won’t make every sinful consequence you are dealing with go away, but it will refresh you in the midst of your pain - and refreshing is always a good thing while you heal.

Not sure where to start?  Ask God to reveal to you any areas in which you need to repent.  What He sees and what you see may be two different things.

^“Search me, O God, and know my heart;. . . And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24 NKJV).

Then, ask God to cleanse you and restore to you the joy that comes with salvation. If you are repenting of your sin for the very first time in your life, you will experience a joy that parallels none other that you have ever experienced.  If you are already a believer, but have allowed sins to rob you of the joy of experiencing God’s presence on a regular basis, that joy will be restored with repentance.

Should you decide to celebrate your time of spiritual refreshing with a frappuccino, that will be the icing - or maybe I should say, the whipped cream on top.  That’s what I would call an added blessing.

Have a refreshing day!

©2008  Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

Emphasis on highlighted and underlined words in the verses above was added by me and does not appear this way in the text from which it was taken.

I either have a summer cold or my allergies have flared up again.  Whatever it is has left me feeling crummy and not sleeping well at night.  This morning, I woke up a little later than usual and walked into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee from our pre-programmable coffee pot which enables the coffee to begin brewing before we get up.  I poured a cup and added my usual sweetener and milk, but thought it just didn’t taste that great.  I was considering adding more sugar when I finally emerged from my foggy state of mind long enough to realize that the problem wasn't in the flavor of the coffee, but in the temperature of it.  Because I had gotten up later than usual, my coffee, which had brewed several hours earlier, was now only lukewarm.  No amount of sugar or cream would make it taste right.  I needed to reheat it.

When our relationship with the Lord grows lukewarm, we sometimes try to "fix" what is not quite right in our lives with any of a number of things.  No amount of religious activity, changing jobs, finding the perfect relationship, or any other thing you might try to add to your life will restore the satisfaction that is missing when you are spiritually lukewarm.

If you are not cold or hot, spiritually speaking, you probably are in that distasteful state of being lukewarm.  Lukewarm is not only unappealing to us, but to God as well.

^NKJ Revelation 3:16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."

 Not sure if you are hot, cold, or lukewarm? 

Take this quiz and answer the following 5 questions.

 Better yet, print it off, take the quiz, and keep it in your Bible for future reference. The purpose of this quiz is to help you get your life back to the wonderfully satsifying place of being passionately in love with the Lord.

1.  How aware are you of God’s presence on a daily basis?

a.  not at all
^CSB Psalm 78:11 They forgot what He had done, the wonderful works He had shown them.

b.  I fluctuate quite a bit.  It takes trouble to get my attention.
^NKJ Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. ^NKJ Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.

c.  I am aware of Him throughout the day.
^CSB Psalm 16:8 I keep the LORD in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
^CSB Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely.

2.  How thirsty are you for God?

a.  I plan to seek Him at a more convenient time in my life.
^CSB Acts 24:24, . . . Felix . . . sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus

^NKJ Acts 24:25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."

b.  I would like to be closer to Him
^NKJ Psalm 143:6 I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah

c.  I am actually making the effort to seek Him and apply His Word to my life.
^NKJ Psalm 119:10 With my whole heart I have sought You; . . .

^NKJ Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!

3.  How consistent are your words and your actions?

a.  I don’t even pretend to be a Christian.
^CSB Psalm 78:10 They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law.

b.  I try to have it both ways.  I say one thing and do another.
^CSB James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way.

^NKJ Isaiah 29:13 . . .  the LORD said: ". . .  these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me. . .

^NKJ Ezekiel 33:31 ". . . they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

c.  I am authentic.
^NKJ Psalm 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."

4.  How would you rate your awareness of and reaction to sin?

a.  I don’t feel uncomfortable watching or participating in things the Bible says are morally wrong.
^NKJ Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 
^CSB Romans 1:29-31 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.

b.  Sometimes, I postpone dealing with it.
^CSB Acts 24:24 . . .  Felix . . .  sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus

^NKJ Acts 24:25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."

c.  It breaks my heart and I repent.
^NKJ Psalm 51:3 . . .  I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
^NKJ Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight -. . .
^NKJ Psalm 51:7 Purge me . . . and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
^NKJ Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
^NKJ Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, . . .

 
5.  How loving are you?

a. I am very loving toward people who love me.
^NKJ Luke 6:32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

^NKJ 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; . . .

b.  I do pray for people, but don’t really get that involved in meeting their needs.

^CSB James 2:15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food,

^NKJ James 2:16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

c.  I love even my enemies and do good to them. 

^NKJ Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Now, what will you do with the results of your quiz?

Well, I guess that actually depends on whether you are cold, hot, or lukewarm.

You will either:

a.  respond with coldness of heart and decide not to give this any further thought b.  feel convicted to make a change, but forget about it by tomorrow
c.  repent and respond to needed change

Have a blessed week!

©2008  Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved

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