Labels that others slap on us can carry strength if we are not careful.
In today’s podcast Episode #73 discover four steps to take to walk in your God given identity, so you can become the woman God created you to be.
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#72 Five Ways to Respond to Emotion Commotion to Stay Focused on Your Purpose(Eph 2:1-10)
Emotions are part of what makes us human, but when they become so strong that they blind us from making wise decisions, it can cause emotion commotion.
Discover 5 steps to handle emotional strongholds in today’s podcast episode #72 so that you can remain steadfast in your purpose.
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The Storm of Emotional Strongholds
Like a strong unforgiving riptide, emotions can carry us in a direction we don’t want to go. Yesterday I faced challenge after challenge.
I felt frustrated.
I felt overwhelmed.
The wheels came off the bus…I cried! My whirling emotions distracted me and resulted in a most unproductive day.
Can you relate?
Feelings Can Steal Our Godly Girl Power
Sometimes feelings are not kind friends. They can steal away our godly girl power if we are driven by our desires instead of directed by the Holy Spirit.
Nothing makes me feel more powerless than when I face an emotional stronghold. A strong force of emotions welling up in us stirs up a commotion.
- Fear.
- Anxiety.
- Anger.
- Frustration.
Think about those moments when you lose your temper or respond unkindly to someone.
I want to be a wise woman that walks not under the power of my emotions but by the power of the Holy Spirit. If my emotions are in the driver’s seat, how can I be led by the Holy Spirit?
But let’s get honest. Strong emotions are impossible to avoid, aren’t they? Emotions aren’t bad. You’ll always have them. They make us human. God gave us emotions. They are a part of our soul. God had emotions also. But when our emotions become strongholds in our life, when they are in the driver’s seat of our decisions – that’s when they can create problems.
The Enemy Creates Emotional Strongholds
Emotions alert us to needs within our soul, but they are never a reliable source of truth.
You see, we serve a God who loves us and wants us to be led by the Holy Spirit so we can fulfill the God–given purpose he planned for us long ago. But we also have an enemy that would love nothing more than to distract us and derail us from doing what God wants us to do. And he loves to create emotional strongholds in our life by using just the right lies to create that current to pull you away from your purpose. I know this. I’ve been there.
The world thinks of power and freedom as the strength to do whatever we want. But in God’s economy, power and freedom come from walking in obedience to God for his glory. Freedom is not following our desires and doing whatever we want to do. It is being a wise woman and being led by the Holy Spirit.
I want to be wise – don’t you?
The truth is, brave heart, we are not going to stop feeling those emotions—and that is not our goal. Our goal is to find ways we can face those emotions and remain steadfast to do what God has called us to do. The big choice is this: Who will be in the driver’s seat,my feelings or the Holy Spirit?
Bring Your Emotions to God
You don’t have to hide your emotions and try to handle them on your own. Bring them to God, brave heart, and gain his perspective to walk in the truth. Let’s get wise by learning and choosing God’s way to walk in your God-given destiny and make a difference.
One look into the book of Psalms and we see how David was not afraid to pour out his emotions. He got angry, depressed, overwhelmed, frustrated; all of that and more.
The book of Psalms reminds me that God can handle my emotions. He can help me sort through that strong force and get God’s perspective. I am not alone when that storm hits my soul. The Psalms also remind me that God does not condemn me when I have negative emotions or desires. He wants me to bring them to him so I can get his help instead of hiding them or trying to handle them on my own.
Brave heart, don’t let the enemy steal one bit of that godly girl power. When a strong current of emotions hits your heart, reach out to Jesus for clear direction to stay steady on the path of your purpose.
ONWARD!
Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10
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.
#71 Surrender is a Gateway to Freedom – 3 Steps to Let Go (Ephesians 1)
While I know that surrender is my gateway to freedom, if I am honest, sometimes I have trouble letting go.
In today’s podcast, Episode #71 discover three keys to letting go so you can live the life God intended you to live.
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The Power of Pausing
Live on purpose by pausing from life’s pressures to plug into the limitless power that flows from the presence of Jesus.
She Was a Warrior
She was a warrior. In fact, she had been fighting all her life. Fighting to prove herself. Fighting to keep everyone happy with her by always saying yes. Fighting to keep the peace by compliance. Fighting to survive. And slowly over time . . . she lost her identity as she changed who she was to please those who surrounded her.
She gave up her power by surrendering to people instead of her Savior.
But God loved her and would not leave her this way. She was a treasure. He had chosen her. It gave him great joy to adopt her as his child. He never intended her to be a victim of her circumstances or other people. She was his daughter. He intended her to live for His glory and love others by walking in the strength that only he could provide.
But she had to be taught a new way to think and live. She had to learn that her power was not outside her in the form of other people.
The power was within her through the Holy Spirit.
This was important. Whatever we see as our source of power also controls us. If she recognized him as her source, she would be free to live for him.
She Had Godly Girl Power
Godly girl power was a part of her inheritance. Like a holy thread connecting her to heaven, the presence and power of Jesus within her was a confident hope she could hold onto in this broken world—hope that a great and glorious inheritance was yet to come (Ephesians 1:14).
Yet while she lived in this broken world, she would need God’s all-surpassing power to walk in her purpose. This power was the same power he had used to defeat sin and death by raising Christ on the third day (Ephesians 1:19-20). This power was nothing she earned. He freely gave it through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).
Having this power and using this power were two different issues altogether. Even though she was his daughter, she was used to thinking like an orphan. She was used to depending on herself and other people. While she had godly girl power within her, the old ways she had used to find strength when she was far away from God had become familiar ruts in her thinking and gave way to comfortable bad habits.
Her journey to change her source of power would begin with her mind. He was calling her to live differently by retreating and renewing her mind instead of trying to change her behavior.
Renew Your Mind by Pausing Each Day
Power always comes from a source. Godly girl power comes only from God himself. To plug into God’s power, we must pause and pull into his presence daily.
An expert archer keeps his arrows in his quiver, close to him, so he can sharpen and polish them, releasing them again and again with power, purpose, and precision. Like the expert archer, God is calling his daughters to retreat into his presence to prepare and position their heart to be released for his glory.
Wherever you are in your walk with God, you are never too far along to retreat inside God’s quiver and share sacred times close to him. It is in his quiver, concealed and sharpened, that we plug into godly girl power and our hearts are released to live for his glory.
The world is a battlefield where brave hearts make a difference. Come away in his quiver, brave heart. The sole purpose of the Treasured Devotions is to inspire you to connect with God through his Word so you may live aimed and active in your God-given purpose.
Renewing our minds is a lifetime process that brings transformation because our faith and action always walk hand in hand.
Paul began his letter to the Ephesians by reminding those believers of key beliefs about God and their inheritance in Christ. Ten years earlier when Paul had founded and discipled this church for two years, I am certain he taught these same fundamental truths. Paul started with belief, not behavior. I believe Paul knew this truth: renewing our minds is never a one and done deal. Paul started with belief …
What do you start with, braveheart?
Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 1
Take the next steps by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to learn how to connect with God’s Word in a way that transforms your life and helps you become the woman you’re meant to be.
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.
#70 Five Ways to Discern God’s Voice Through His Word (Galatians 5)
How do I know when God is speaking to me?
Listen to today’s podcast Episode #70 and uncover how to discern God’s direction in your life so you can live the truth and make a difference.
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Godly Girl Power
For the battle you face today, brave heart, God’s strength is sufficient. His perfect love is a powerful force. His all-surpassing mighty power is much greater than worldly power.
Allow God to guard you by letting him guide you. His unfailing love will see you through.
Women make the greatest difference in this world when they experience God’s unconditional love and live confidently, fulfilling God’s purpose for their life. This is not easy. In a world that teaches us to depend on sources other than God, it’s easy to become co-dependent and lose our identity.
I know this—I’ve been there. This is what I’ve learned in my journey of breaking free from co-dependency: to walk in our purpose, we need to plug into Godly girl power.
What Is Godly Girl Power?
Godly girl power is God’s all-surpassing power. This is different from worldly power.
- Worldly power is outward control dependent on other people and things and focuses on self.
- Godly girl power is the inner strength of a woman led confidently by God to walk in love and live for his glory no matter what circumstances she faces. Love is the most powerful force and that is what Godly Girl Power is all about.
Paul taught the Ephesians about God’s all-surpassing power:
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” (Ephesians 3:16)
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-20).
Standing in God’s Strength
When faced with a battle, we can be tempted to put on the armor of the world, to fight with the world’s battle plans. We try to take the reins of life, fighting our way to take power the world provides to fix things. During past battles, we learned those old coping mechanisms for survival like manipulation, control, self-reliance, seeking power from people, people pleasing, performance, anger, and unforgiveness.
These are just some of the worldly ways we sought to find power from external sources when we felt powerless.
But now we belong to Jesus, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. He invites us to receive his power by standing in his mighty strength (1 Peter 2:18–25).
Sharing the gospel is our precious privilege but one that the enemy of our souls would love to shut down. If he can get us so wound up and worn out fighting our battles the world’s way, we may become so discouraged, distracted, and directionless that we stop sharing the Gospel altogether.
Christianity that requires courage instead of Christianity that demands comfort calls to us stand in the strength that only God can provide.
God Is Your Defender. You Are Not Powerless.
Which will you choose? Will you stand in God’s mighty power . . . or survive by trying to take worldly power? It’s such an important choice. You see, whatever source you see as your strength will control your life. God’s power is agape love—and his unconditional love is the most powerful force in the world.
Nourish Scripture: Acts 20:16-36
Take the next step by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to learn how to connect 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.
Godly Girl Power
Hey there, Braveheart,
Yeah, that’s you! Happy 4th of July! Hope you are having a great start to your summer.
Starting next Monday, we will kick off a new series called Godly Girl Power. For the next ten weeks, we look at Paul’s words to the Church at Ephesus as we walk through Acts 20:16-26 and the book of Ephesians.
So, what is godly girl power?
Understanding Godly Girl Power
Godly girl power is God’s all-surpassing power. This is different from worldly power.
Worldly power is outward control dependent on other people and things and focuses on self. Godly girl power is the inner strength of a woman led confidently by God to walk in love and live for his glory no matter what circumstances she faces. Love is the most powerful force, and that is what Godly Girl Power is all about.
Paul loved his church family in Ephesus. Under his care, he encouraged them to stand in God’s strength.
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10)
Life can make you feel powerless sometimes when a battle is at hand. We can find all the strength we need by standing in the strength that ONLY God can provide!
So, grab a friend and get ready as we uncover God’s limitless strength in this 10-week Bible study on the book of Ephesians. In this study you will:
- Learn the difference between godly girl-power and worldly power.
- Discover how to plug into God’s limitless source of strength.
- Study the entire book of Ephesians using the Nourish Bible Study Method.
- Be inspired to live the truth with our weekly podcast audio messages on iTunes.
- Gain encouragement for your journey with our resources on our Facebook Page including our weekly video message.
Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and like our Facebook page to get ready for a great journey.
We start next Monday! Have a great Fourth of July!
ONWARD!
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.
