Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

Aliene

Extraordinary In His Eyes

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Have you ever felt like God could not or did not see you? Like He has forgotten you and does not care about your circumstances?

Have you ever doubted God’s goodness? 

Have you ever questioned God’s love for you?

I have. When we are in the midst of difficult circumstances the enemy loves to whisper doubts about our God’s goodness, power, love, and the truth of His Word in order to strike fear into our hearts.

Believing God’s Promises

In Genesis 22:18 God promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. In Isaiah 9:6-7 the prophecy is made that a child will be born. A child that will reign on David’s throne from that time on and forever.

Hundreds of years later David’s throne sits empty and Abraham’s descendants are being ruled by the Roman government. I am sure God’s people wondered if He had forgotten His promises.

In Luke 1:46-47 we find Mary full of joy and anticipation. She cannot contain it. It flows out of her in the form of praise to the Lord.

 “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

 For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.

Mary realizes that God has not only been mindful of her but has done great things for her and from then on all generations would call her blessed. The time had come at last. God was keeping His promise to show mercy to His people through Jesus, who would be born to Mary.

He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful. 

For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

In Mary’s Song of Praise we can take encouragement. Just as God was mindful of Mary and remembered to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants He is mindful of you and I. Listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 12:6-7

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Look for the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

If God even knows the number of hairs on our heads we can be assured that we have value to Him and He is attentive to every detail of our lives.

He sees us.

He will bring deliverance to us.

He will care for us in this life, but ultimately as believers we can count on spending eternity with Him.

An answer to a long prayed prayer, the prodigal that returns to the Lord, provision for that need, comfort in our sadness, relief, and rest are just a very few examples of God’s extraordinary mercy and deliverance we receive daily in this life.

Pay attention to God’s eternal extraordinary by looking for the mercy and deliverance of God in the ordinary circumstances of your own life.

When you see them, like Mary, you will be a spring bubbling over with joy flowing out of you in the form of a magnificent song of praise to the Lord.

Nourish Scripture: Luke 1:46-55

Blog written by Sandy Jones. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Sandy Jones is the author of Mixed Up Melvin. She was born and raised in North Carolina and currently lives in Cary with her husband and three sons. After a prodigal experience and learning many lessons the hard way, Sandy has a passion for bringing the Word of God to life. She loves to teach and explain to other’s the things she has learned experiencing God’s Word for herself.

To learn more about Mixed Up Melvin click here.

Big Visions are Built With Little Steps of Faith

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BIG visions are built with LITTLE steps of faith. But so often that thief of unbelief stops our next steps by whispering in our ear – that’s impossible! Ahh but all things are possible with God!

In today’s podcast find the motivation to move forward! Walk right over that thief of unbelief by taking your next step of faith. ONWARD!

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Declaring Victory Over Depression -My Podcast with Michelle Bengston

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Full disclosure. I have struggled with depression, and I know I am not alone. Eighteen point eight million Americans have wrestled with this issue too. Dr. Michelle Bengston, the author of Hope Prevails, is a board-certified neuropsychologist who believed she was prescribing the most effective treatments for her depressed patients until she walked into depression herself. In Hope Prevails, she writes, “Once I became aware of the spiritual aspects of depression, the curtain was pulled back and I found new ammunition to fight the battle.” (pg 37). BAM! Michelle’s message is impactful and important. I am just crazy about her book and corresponding Bible Study Hope Prevails. In this Treasured Ministries Podcast today find hope to battle depression God’s way. You can dive into Michelle’s Book Hope Prevails and other resources by clicking on the links below.

Michelle’s Blog and other resources: http://drmichellebengtson.com

Order Hope Prevails (book and corresponding Bible Study) on Amazon. Click Here

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Friends Giving

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She began to practice friendship again. And practicing friendship meant that although she did not do it perfectly every time, she continued putting herself out there, taking proactive steps to the beat of God’s principles. And with every step she found others who were looking for this kind of connection.

Sharing her life with people in this way brought her heart great joy.

Hiding in her safe harbor had only hindered her heart. Carrying God’s love to others out in the great expanse of the ocean with her sails lifted high is what she had been created for. Confident in God’s direction for authentic friendships, she knew she could trust the Holy Spirit to navigate her through stormy seas.

She would no longer seclude herself and hide her heart.

She believed she was worthy of love, and when she lived this way she invited others to feel the same. Authentic friendship pushed her to be vulnerable and real with others, but this was an adventure worth taking.

The Joy in Practicing Authentic Friendship

I hope you have enjoyed this Authentic Friendship series from Treasured Ministries. Deep connections bring life to our social media saturated world. Practicing authentic friendship is a beautiful gift to share!

This is the truth: You can have deep connections ordained by God himself! You are worthy to be loved. To belong. But you must practice . . . you must put yourself out there . . . and you must do it God’s way.

As we close out this series today, I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I definitely learned so much in writing these devotions! Our advent series starts next week. Going with the flow of the Authentic Friendship series, I asked friends to help me write this next one—and can’t wait to share it with you.

Also, the videos for the Nourish Bible Study Series are now online. YAHOO! We are so excited to share these with you and hope you will consider starting one of our studies in the New Year.

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Taking Baby Steps Back Into Friendship

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In this podcast find courage you need to step back into friendship again. Every woman has two deep soul needs: to love and be loved. Opening up your heart after you have been hurt takes COURAGE. I know this. I’ve been there and here is what I found: hiding did not heal my heart, actively taking baby steps back into friendship did.  God is a redeemer. If you have been hurt –  I get that pain and understand the need to protect your heart – but doing it God’s way is so much better.

You are wired for love – NOT fear!  It’s the enemies scheme to shut down your heart and to take you out of the game. Fight back with love!

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Chasing the Chosen Few

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There is a sense of safety that comes from having a large spanning group of friends, and while it feels good in the moment at a large party or loud meal, I personally have found them to always leave me wanting more.

I believe there is a risk we run when collecting acquaintances rather than seeking out and pursuing true relationships.

And that is not to say that big groups of friends are a bad thing, but rather to suggest that we take the time to truly seek knowing the people that are around us and tighten up our inner circles.

Large Groups Are a Safety Net

Large groups feel a lot like a safety net. When I first got to school I found myself running around desperately seeking people to put on a mental list of meal time loneliness deterrents, and how selfish that was of me to do.

People are not collectibles, they are not simply the means by which to avoid isolation, they are souls and stories, and they should be cherished as such. Rather than give only the small shallow parts of ourselves to many, why not share the deepest extents of our dreams and passions to a chosen few?

And who are these chosen few?

  • They are the small groups of unlikely friendships made possible only by the love of the father.
  • They are the circles of women finding strength in vulnerability and peace in the honesty of others.

These are groups made of women you seek out, and women that seem to find you somewhere along the way. And these are the groups to cherish.

These groups take work, they take hard moments of honesty and intentionality beyond any other friend group.

The word “Foster” is defined as to “encourage or promote the development of something, typically regarded as good.” If we are to foster these small groups, it takes intentionality in chasing after those in it. It takes going out of our ways to love them more than we love ourselves. And what you sow into these friendships you will reap tenfold.

And that is the beauty of the small group, when you chose a select few to love properly and receive love from in return, you have more love to give and deeper bonds to make.

Finding the Chosen Few

How do you find these special women?

It begins with reaching out and opening yourself up to finding friends. But sometimes this not easy.

Insecurity can keep us silent. Slipping in and out of church doors without saying a word to those around we might shy away from what could be life-changing friendships. However, we cannot live our lives blaming our loneliness on others not coming directly to us and reading our minds. You find things by seeking them out, so do that, pursue what you know your heart needs!

Chase after those few that God has chosen to grow you alongside, and when you find them, be filled with the wisdom and love they have to offer, and pour right back into them.

Abandon the insecurities that tell you to chase endless shallow friendships and rather prayerfully seek the deep connections and accountability that can be found in a small group.

Leading the Chosen Few in a Small Group

Where do I begin?

One way to begin is by starting a Nourish Together Group.

Nourish Together Groups are women coming together weekly to pray, share a meal, and discover truth using the weekly Nourish Scripture.

If you are interested, we have a  free online resource called the Nourish Together Leader’s Guide.  Find all the tools you need for your journey, including our step-by-step plan to get you started.  Even if you are not ready to commit – but you just want to find out a little more – this is a great way to just learn more before stepping out. Click here to learn more about Nourish Together.

Nourish Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Blog written by Millicent Phillips. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Dealing with Fear by Embracing Your Core Authentic Idenity

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When we feel like what we have to offer is not enough – we hide and this hinders our purpose. But when God is the source our identity this changes. Drawing our value from Him, frees my heart to love others. Embracing our authentic core identity is one of the greatest keys to becoming the woman that God created us to be.

In today’s podcast, we are looking at the book of Jeremiah and finding truth to kick fear to the curb! BAM!

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The Courage to be Vulnerable

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Without authenticity, there is no vulnerability.

Without vulnerability, there is no intimacy.

Without courage to be authentic, the connections God created for you cannot happen.

Everything you are—your authentic self, your story, your imperfections, your fears, your dreams, your past,—all God has created you to be is a beautiful pearl to treasure and share with those who value your whole heart.

The Extraordinary Results of Anchoring Together

Formed by adversity of sand and surf, true pearls are imperfect, yet they carry great value to those who understand, appreciate, and respect the journey of this jewel.  When a pearl comes out of its shell to connect with other treasures, something special happens.

A pearl alone is a beautiful treasure, but when anchored with other treasures on a strong strand, the results are extraordinary.

Similarly, when we are authentic with one another and held together by God’s agape love, we find the true connection God created us for.

But great courage is required for this true connection. Experience has taught us to fear bringing our real selves to the table.  Perhaps that deep desire for connection deceived our hearts and we made bad decisions to share our treasure with those who had no empathy or because of their own pain could not value our journey.

  • We shared our story but felt shame from others.
  • We put ourselves out there and failed.
  • We loved greatly only to be rejected.
  • We trusted and were betrayed.
  • We lived and we were labeled.

And so we falsely believed we were not enough. We stopped really living. We hid. We shut down. We made perfection our goal to shield rejection. We stayed on the surface and had many acquaintances but nothing deep.

In our shame, we pulled others down to prop ourselves up. We swung between the two extremes of hiding or trying to hot-wire connection by giving our pearls away to those who trampled on them.

Opening Your Heart Takes Courage to Be Vulnerable

Opening your heart again to community after you have been hurt or betrayed takes a tremendous amount of courage. I know this from personal experience. I know how the fear of rejection can paralyze your heart.

And I also know from experience that stepping back into a healthy biblical community one baby step at a time is a vital part of healing.

Part of that journey for me was walking in close fellowship with a small group of women in my Nourish Together Group. They carried trust and had the courage to be vulnerable with me. When this happened, my soul relaxed, and ever so slowly my shell opened and my true self . . . my story of failure . . . my fears . . . my imperfections fell inside the safety net of their trust and agape love.

The courage to share your pearls wisely and find true connection comes from embracing your core authentic God-given identity and inviting others to do the same.

Why is this a solution?

Join me for Facebook Live on Wednesday to unpack this truth deeper so you can become brave with your heart and carry trust to help others open their shells and share their pearls.

Nourish Scripture: Jeremiah 1

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.