Daily Treasure

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Matthew Henry penned the following: “He (Satan) is the great promoter of falsehood of every kind. He is a liar, all his temptations are carried on by his calling evil good, and good evil, and promising freedom in sin. He is the author of all lies; whom liars resemble and obey, with whom all liars shall have their portion for ever. The special lusts of the devil are spiritual wickedness, the lusts of the mind, and corrupt reasonings, pride and envy, wrath and malice, enmity to good, and enticing others to evil.”

I would think if a person didn’t believe in the truths of God’s Word, he or she would be an easy target for the weapon of lies. We must battle back by spending time in God’s Word and on our knees.  I close with this thought on day 2 of our PreEaster Week of Prayer.

“Prayer is not preparation for work, it is the work. Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it is the battle. Prayer is two two-fold: definite asking and definite waiting to receive.”  – Oswald Chambers

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray today for these global mission opportunities.
Japan— Mirial Gainer has been working with Koinonia Free Will
Baptist Church to set up an outreach program called Kayou Friends
Café. People are invited to attend every Tuesday from 2:00 – 5:00
p.m. The church provides snacks, listening ears, and friendship. The
Café sees numerous individuals who are not believers. Some come
because they want to learn more about Jesus. Others come and
read the Scripture papers, but will not take them home. Ask God to
touch and change the hearts of those who visit the café. Also, ask
God to send more individuals to attend the Café and for the witness
of workers who have chosen this as their ministry.
Spain — Lea Edgmon and Kristi Johnson host activities for kids at
the Outreach Center in Alpedrete. During “English Story Time” they
act out children’s books or use puppets to tell a story. “English Song
Time” introduces children and their parents to classic children’s
songs. They also host “English, Please” for older elementary children,
giving children one-on-one help with English homework and
involving them in group activities. The team began these innovative
outreach activities seven years ago when the Center opened. Please
pray that relationships developed over these years will bear spiritual
fruit

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall  ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not  surely die” (Genesis 3:1-4).

Our last week of this month’s study is entitled “Enemy Weapons.”  We must not only be able to identify the Enemy, the battle and the battlefield, but we must be able to recognize what he uses to defeat us.  One of the devil’s weapons is deceit.  Satan specializes in distorting the truth. Reading today’s verses, we see a picture of how Satan twisted God’s words. This led to the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden.  He deceived them into accepting his lies, which he subtly made them believe as truth.

If we are not careful, the devil will use this weapon on us.  If he can confuse us and make us doubt the truths of God, he wins. We can fight back with one of our own weapons.

That weapon is prayer. Today begins our PreEaster Week of Prayer. Let us use the weapon of prayer as we intercede in behalf of those who are serving God around the world. Pray for the fields and requests, knowing God’s Mighty Hand works through prayer.

For my closing thought today I chose the following:

Away in foreign fields, they wondered how
Their simple word had power –
At home, some Christians, two or three, had met
To pray an hour.
We are always wondering- wondering how,
Because we do not see
Someone – perhaps unknown and far away –
On bended knee. – Unknown

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray today for these areas of missions ministry.
France — Ten years ago, Dennis and Carol Teague and a group of
volunteers from the States started a conference for teenagers. They
called it Jcrois, French slang for “I believe it.” The event was established
to encourage and equip students to stand firm in their faith.
Although the conference is for Christians, several students have
given their hearts to the Lord as a result of attending. Numerous
other spiritual commitments are made every year. This year marks
the 10th anniversary of Jcrois. Pray for the hearts of students who
will attend and for the missionaries who will plan and carry out the
conference. Several of the volunteers who were instrumental in the
first conference will return to France to join the celebration. Please
pray for safe travels for them.
Single Missionaries — Currently, five single women serve overseas:
Cathy Crawford and Patsy Vanhook in France, Mirial Gainer
and Shannon Little in Japan, and Molly Barker in Uruguay. Ask God
to provide their every need—physically, emotionally, financially, and
spiritually. Pray for safety and the ability to resist temptation. Pray
for wisdom as they build friendships and clarity as they share the
gospel.

Read FWBIM General Director Clint Morgan’s blog about a special single missionary.

“But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking with them the spices they had prepared.  The found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus”  (Luke 24:1-3 NLT).

Jesus was not found in the tomb.  Jesus had told them He wouldn’t be there.

But we look anyway, don’t we?

We look for Him in places where He tells us He won’t be.  Like in sinful situations we have created for ourselves.  Relationships that are not godly and pure.  Projects that are not God-focused.  Programs that have watered down His Word.

We won’t find Him unless we’ve prayed for His blessing, approached His throne for guidance, searched our hearts for sins that separate us from Him and looked for where it is He is working and join up with Him.

Where are you looking for Jesus today?

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Are you participating in the 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting with Free Will Baptist International Missions? Read today’s request on Facebook.

“Only acknowledge your guilt.  Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree.  Confess that you refused to follow me.  I, the Lord, have spoken”  (Jeremiah 3:13 NLT).

What comes to mind when you hear the word confession?

Do you see the dimly lit closet holding an errant parishioner on one side and a priest on the other?

Do you see the child with his hand in the cookie jar?

Do you see the handwritten statement given by someone charged with a crime?

Do you see yourself?  Do you see yourself broken?  Embarrassed?  Ashamed?  Do you see yourself actually guilt-ridden for having committed what it is you must confess?

Let me guess, you’ve never gone quite that far with your thoughts?  In all honesty, neither had I—until I read today’s Scripture.

Guilt.  Charges of sinfulness.  Acknowledging that I chose not to follow the Lord’s leading.  I chose to refuse.

Confession is coming alongside God on His assessment of my heart.  Confession, the kind that will change your life and show regret for former actions, is not pretty…but it’s necessary.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Ask God to strengthen our Free Will Baptist churches around the world. Pray for unity among church members, spiritual growth, commitment to take the gospel to others, sound marriages, demonstrations of God’s love and peace in their lives, solid biblical teaching, and servant-leadership. Pray each congregation will be a lighthouse of His glory and grace. (40 Days of Prayer and Fasting with Free Will Baptist International Missions)

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Today’s verse provides the best example to use in transforming our minds. Remember WWJD—what would Jesus do?  Why not adopt this motto: WWJT— what would Jesus think?  The NIV Study Bible states, “In spite of all that is unique and radically different about the person and work of Christ, Christians are to have his attitude of self-sacrificing humility and love for others.”

As we have decided to “transform” and “renew” our minds, let us strive to keep our “heart house” nice and tidy. Next week we will learn about the “Enemy’s Weapons.”  We will also be sharing about prayer, (one of our weapons we can use against the devil) as we participate in the WNAC PreEaster Week of Prayer.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray that many churches and women’s groups will participate in the 2013 PreEaster Week of Prayer, March 25-29.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

Clear the mind so you can memorize Scripture. Hide it in your heart and let it travel to your mind.  One verse that many people memorize is Philippians 4:13.  How many Scriptures do you have ready to use in battling with Satan? One I highly recommend is found in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”   Memorizing scripture is sin-prevention medicine. It is a means of using your mind to fight the Enemy.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Georgia Women Active for Christ, meeting together today for their annual meeting, and for WNAC Executive Director Elizabeth Hodges as she interacts and shares with women in this state.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer”  (Psalm 19:14).

“Wesley’s Notes” offers the following concerning today’s verse.  “Having prayed that God would keep him (David) from sinful actions, he now prays that God would govern, and sanctify his words and thoughts: and this was necessary to preserve him from presumptuous sins, which have their first rise in the thoughts.”

We all should want God to govern our thoughts and words.  We also should desire that those words and thoughts be pleasing to our “strength” and “redeemer.”

Meditating on the Word can be just the ammunition you need during a difficult time when the battle becomes intense. Tomorrow we will take our meditation one step further.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: In your prayers today, cover every aspect of any special Easter activities planned by your church.