Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing
Sometimes saying “no” and setting boundaries is a struggle because we feel guilty or unloving towards others. But boundaries often equal agape love.
Find the courage to set boundaries in today’s podcast episode #67 on iTunes as we dive into Luke 17:1-11 so that you can walk in confidence and freedom to live and love as God intended.
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Her life story sang the sweet sounds of amazing grace and created a symphony that drew others to God’s precious gift of salvation through Christ. Much like an artist carefully and creatively plans each note to create a melody, God orchestrated her steps as she learned to walk by faith in His Words. Instead of creating a melody, these steps created moments linked together for a purpose greater than herself.
The love of Jesus grabbed her attention . . . but it was God’s words that captured her heart. Every syllable was sacred. His words were living and active. They became reality. They shaped her identity. They changed her life and would, in turn, change the lives of others.
She found her authentic God-given voice by turning her heart towards his so she could listen to and be led by His Words.
What is your God-given purpose? When you seek God’s plan by approaching him through the Bible—the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s words . . . his plan for you . . . to your heart. Your purpose brings value to this world and glorifies God. God is the author of your story. He is the only one who can write those words on your heart.
The words God whispers to your heart are holy, for they are his. They are meant to write your story so the greatest story—the gospel of Jesus Christ—can be told by your life.
You are a treasure. God created you to shine by reflecting his glory as you turn your heart to his.
God is waiting to lead and guide you into life-changing truth. As you respond to the Word and walk out God’s will for your life in faith, you will receive nourishment that will flow to others as you become more and more the woman God created you to be. Find your voice by turning your heart toward his and creating music defined by steps of faith.
Your authentic God–given identity is needed and necessary.
Make music one moment at a time. One step of faith at a time. One day at a time. ONWARD!
Nourish Scripture: John 8:1-20
Deepen your connection to God’s Word by downloading Nourishing Your Heart today!
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.
“And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.” (Joshua 1:8 MSG)
God told Joshua to meditate on truth and that same tool is just as effective for us today.
I am not a warrior like Joshua trying to conquer enemies in the Promised Land, but I am a busy wife, mother, friend, and ministry leader with a desire to live in the direction of my God-given purpose. Just like you, I have distractions and disappointments that have the potential to derail me.
In my busy world where my mind is prone to wander, biblical meditation continues to be the tool that gives me the ability to take my thoughts captive so that I can stand firm in my faith.
As an anchor exists to secure a vessel so it ceases to wander, God’s Word secures our heart to Him no matter what waves we may face during the day. In our information age where our minds are processing information beyond capacity, it has never been more important to develop this discipline designed by God to walk in truth.
Biblical meditation is God’s prescription to take your thoughts captive to his truth. Biblical meditation renews our minds, transforms our thoughts, and strengthens our faith so we can stand firm in our God-given purpose.
Meditate “hagah” |Hebrew|: to speak; to imagine; to mutter
The word meditate in Hebrew means to speak, to imagine, or to mutter. So, for our use, meditation means to ponder over God’s truth by reading the Bible during our quiet time. We reflect on truths revealed by prayerfully speaking God’s Word, and return to those truths to remember and renew our minds during the day.
I would like to clarify one important point here: This meditation is not like the kind endorsed by other religions.
We do not empty our minds. On the contrary, we fill our minds with God and his Word by speaking scriptures. This kind of meditation was God’s idea and, when performed according to his prescription, it will renew your mind and transform your relationship with him. In my podcast this week, we will discuss this further.
Taking our thoughts captive to truth sounds simple, but when I first tried to put this discipline into practice I was frustrated. Then the Lord gave me some wonderful insight:
Every time you allow worries to take over your thoughts, you are renewing your mind. Every time you allow your mind to sit and dwell on a past hurt, you are renewing your mind. Every time you replay something in your past repeatedly in your thoughts, you are renewing your mind. Every time your mind churns and churns, overanalyzing, trying to fix or figure things out that only I can control, you are renewing your mind. However, you are not meditating on the truths that will set you free, but on lies that oppress you.
God allowed me to see that instead of renewing my mind on the truths in his Word, I was meditating on lies from the Enemy. I learned I was meditating not only during my Bible study but also during the day. I learned I had the ability to focus, but too often my thoughts were focused in the wrong direction.
Renewing our minds with truth is God’s prescription for shifting our perspective to an eternal focus so we may live a Spirit-led life. Pulling one truth away from my quiet time in God’s Word and allowing it to travel with me during the day has proven to be both doable and life-changing.
Sometimes it is hard to get started on this journey. Our podcast this week on iTunes and the third step in the Nourish Bible Study Method Renew can help start you on that journey.
Jesus drew from the Scriptures to defeat Satan’s manipulative tactics of temptation so that he could stand firm (Matthew 4:1–11). Similarly, God’s Word is our offensive weapon in the battle against the enemy of our soul.
As you face battles during the day, be like Joshua and Jesus. Stand firm by strengthening your mind to the truth in his Word.
Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24
Take the next step in deepening your connection with God’s Word by downloading Nourishing Your Heart today!
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.
Biblical meditation is God’s prescription to help us “put on Christ” so we can live and give to others the way God intended.
In today’s podcast on iTunes Episode #66 learn more about biblical meditation and how this discipline can make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Just like you, I have distractions and disappointments that have the potential to derail me. In my busy world where my mind is prone to wander, Biblical meditation continues to be the tool that gives me the ability to take my thoughts captive so that I can stand firm in my faith.
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This past summer our family went out to dinner at City Kitchen in Beaufort, North Carolina, to celebrate a special occasion.
Oh my, do I love that place!
We sat outside on a wrap-around porch with creaky, uneven floors on the second story of the home like a marina. Surrounded by water that held fishing boats and a sky emblazoned with a golden sunset, the amazing ambiance played heavy competition with our delicious dinner. Items gracing our plates included barbecued sweet potatoes, shrimp and grits, braised collards, and seared tuna straight from the waters of the Crystal Coast—one of my favorite places on earth.
Memories made around a restaurant table are just as special as those captured at home.
On the way home, my husband asked us to share what stood out to us the most from our experience at dinner. Each of us shared something different. As we paused to identify the special things at the heart of the evening and share our memories with one another, we relived our time together at City Kitchen.
The Lord who created us tells us over and over again in his Word to reflect, remember and renew our minds to his Word. As he nourishes our heart with truth – our spiritual food, he encourages us to return to that truth over and over again.
Like a canvas covered with brushstrokes of various colors and shapes, our minds are filled with the fears, heartaches, joys, and victories of our life experiences. Each experience adds a new brushstroke, and over time these brushstrokes begin to form a landscape. Our landscape shapes the way we think and then determines how we act.
While some of our brushstrokes are beautiful, others swirl together to build confusion and deception in our minds.
God’s kingdom operates differently from this world. Rather than being molded by the world, we need to allow the Word to transform our minds.
Jesus knew we would face battles. He taught the truths and kingdom principles that would equip us to navigate through this world. And he commands us to renew and remember because in our daily lives, we are prone to forget and drift from truth.
Past events often shape our thought life—those things we see, hear, and experience in our everyday life.
While those are actual experiences, they may not line up with God’s truth.
He wants us to live Kingdom minded with his perspective, with our mind set and controlled by His Spirit to experience life and peace (Romans 8:5–8).
Think of renewing your mind this way: every new truth is like a new brushstroke to capture the landscape of his kingdom. By increasing the capacity of our landscape, we live in greater measure in accordance to the truths in his Word.
Just like a boat tied to its anchor, God wants our thoughts to remain steady on His truths for our lives.
God alone is our Anchor of Truth. As an anchor exists to secure a vessel so it ceases to wander, God’s Word secures our minds and hearts to Him no matter what currents or waves we may face during the day.
This is why the third step in the Nourish Bible Study Method called Renew is completely devoted to this discipline.
Want to find your purpose? Renew your mind.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. -Romans 12:2
Nourish Scripture: Luke 8:1-15
Take the next step by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with God’s Word in a way that transforms your life!
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.
You know how finding time to get everything done is a challenge? Some days I wish I could add more hours to my day.
Leaders living with intention and focus maximize their time.
But in our world this is not easy. Our information age clutters our minds with information. Each day we are presented with many options to choose from of how to spend our time. Saying “no” vanishes from our vocabulary as if it’s a four letter word!
Women are busy. Some days just looking at my calendar makes me feel Claustrophobic.
How about you? Have you ever felt that way? Are you feeling that right now?
This week was one those weeks that was completely unproductive. I was not able to get back with people who called me. There was no personal satisfaction in completing my to-do list – IT GREW! Like walking on a treadmill with the highest incline, I felt like I was striving hard yet could not see myself really going anywhere. Frazzled, weary, and worn out with no traction to reach my goals, I was frustrated.
Our bodies are not designed to carry the weight of craziness that is going on in our world. God does not expect us to carry every load. Releasing loads helps us to carry what matters most to God’s heart and live with intention.
Releasing clutter creates room to receive God’s best so you can live directed instead of distracted and make a difference.
Understand this principle of releasing to receive and live with joy. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is sending out His disciples, and He gives them these important instructions:
“The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.” Luke 10:1-4
Using this passage, the Holy Spirit highlighted four areas in my life to release to receive God’s best:
Wise women live with intention by releasing to receive. Learn more by listening to today’s audio message below.
Subscribe to our Podcast HERE.
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.
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She wondered if she would ever dance again. Closing her eyes, she remembered the days when she danced with a freedom that flowed from following close by her Savior. Her steps were ordered by the music he had written for her life before the beginning of time. Each note sang a tune of truth that guided her steps. It was the life she was created and redeemed to live.
But one day she failed and fell. And the music seemed to stop and her freedom before God faded away. Her failure entangled her feet (Hebrews 12:1-2). Another tune began to play in her mind. The enemy of her soul formed a new tune by twisting her sin to form notes of condemning lies. The more she paid attention to the deceptive music, the louder it grew. In shame, she began to hide from Jesus instead coming to him to get the help she needed.
What we hide cannot heal. Honesty before Jesus and healing walk hand in hand.
Can you relate to the woman in this story? I can. At times of great failure when I needed God the most, I hid instead of finding healing through the gift of confession.
It would take a season of brokenness to find this beautiful blessing: God does not desire my perfection or my righteous acts – he wants me just as I am.
Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31–32)
Jesus came with the medicine of mercy and sought sinners because only he could make them well. His purpose was to bring not only forgiveness but also transformation through repentance. Only Jesus has the authority to forgive sins, and only he can heal us from our sins and transform our lives.
Don’t condemn yourself for the sins you struggle with—bring them to Jesus, our Great Physician, through confession and ask him to transform you through the power of the Holy Spirit. He will heal you and set you free.
When we depend on Christ for our forgiveness and freedom from sin, we can walk away from the prison of guilt and experience his freedom and joy.
Confession also gives you the ability and understanding to forgive others more freely (Matthew 7:3). Confession ultimately yields authenticity and intimacy with God, freedom from perfectionism, and reliance on Christ to transform and restore you. (Hebrews 4:14–16).
“Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” Hebrews 4:14–16 MSG
As you bring your faults to him through confession and declare your dependence on him, he will lead you to repentance. Then trust and follow the voice of your Great Shepherd. As you abide in him, he will continually prune those branches that are not bearing fruit so that you can grow. This is a lifetime process.
Jesus knows your humanity; he recognizes your shortcomings. He is not shocked by your failures. He is not ashamed of you. He understands. When you fall and are hurting, Jesus is there to help you, not condemn you.
Recognizing your weaknesses can be one of your greatest strengths when you see it as a door to depending on Jesus.
ONWARD!
Nourish Scripture: Ruth 3:1-4:12
Take the next step by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with God’s Word.
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.
The weight of the historic golden crown ordained with jewels settled on her head but seemed to reach into her soul. At age twenty-five, Elizabeth of Windsor would never be the same. The crown not only rested on her head but also embraced the core of her being. The princess became a queen. With this new identity, the crown would not only grace her head but would also guide her every step . . . and her destiny.
And as I watched the series The Crown on Netflix, I was fascinated with how the crown impacted Elizabeth’s life and decisions—it carried greater weight than even her family. One scene caught my attention in particular. After her father’s early death, as Elizabeth faced the magnitude of becoming queen at age twenty-five, her grandmother wrote these words of wisdom to her:
While you mourn your father, you must also mourn someone else. Elizabeth Mountbatten. For she has now been replaced by another person. Elizabeth Regina (Regina is Latin for queen). The two Elizabeth’s will frequently be in conflict with each other. The fact is the crown must win. Must always win. (Episode 2, Season 1, The Crown, Netflix)
Let that statement just settle in your heart a bit. The crown must win. Your new identity as queen must win. Embracing who you are over who you were must lead the way.
Elizabeth would need to intentionally embrace this new reality and let the crown reign through her choices. Reign over her desires. Reign over her feelings. Reign over her inadequacies. Reign over her past and future. Reign over her purpose. She no longer lived for herself. The crown—her new identity—reigned in her heart.
This is the very essence involved in embracing our authentic core identity, a process that is at the heart of the Christian life.
You see, brave heart, the death of Jesus Christ allows him to reign in you. When you accepted his offer of salvation, you became a queen crowned with far greater treasure than Elizabeth’s earthly crown. You are crowned with Jesus’ righteousness for a purpose beyond yourself.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. (Romans 8:17 NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)
For Christ to reign in our life, his crown must reign in the core of our being. This is not selfishness or pride. This is embracing the reality of who we are in Christ.
For years, I struggled with my identity, a struggle that gave way to some unhealthy choices. Things began to improve when I understood more about authentic core identity. You too can make this shift by allowing the crown to win in your thoughts and faith and in the core of who you are.
Much as the two Elizabeths would wrestle, our old and new identities battle in our heart. But Jesus fights for our heart and the battle is won as we surrender to the crown that is rightfully ours by embracing the words he writes on our heart through faith.
This is why we incorporate authentic core identity into the Respond step of the Nourish Bible Study Method.
So, what do I mean by embracing authentic core identity?
Embracing authentic core identity is agreeing in your heart by faith with God’s blueprint for your life and how he sees you.
Only by seeking your Creator can you uncover your true identity. Finding your core identity is not about frantically striving to be someone, but surrendering to God by allowing his Word to define the purpose for which you were created.
This is a precious treasure to guard by faith against outside influences…
…so you can truly give to others by embracing all God has created you to be.
Part of your authentic core identity is who you are as God’s child with your life hidden in Christ. It is also the specific purpose your heavenly Father designed for you before you were born to bring him glory (Ephesians 2:10). Embracing the unique way he has made you and the spiritual gifts he has given you to support your purpose is also a part of embracing your authentic God-given identity (Romans 12:1–8; Psalm 139:13–14).
Authentic core identity is a deep topic and one I will discuss in greater detail in our podcast and video teaching message this week. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to listen and our YouTube channel to watch.
And today, may you remember the treasure you are. Whatever happens, brave heart—hold your head high. Carry the crown in the core of your being as you embrace your identity in Christ.
ONWARD!
Nourish Scripture: Romans 8:1-17
Take the next step by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with God’s Word in a way that transforms your life.
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.
