Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

Codependency

Codependency Camouflaged

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Codependency is often camouflaged inside the church and remains unconquered because we cannot conquer what we do not confront. ENOUGH OF THAT! In today’s podcast, find God’s solution to codependency and live in the freedom of grace and peace that God intended. If you know someone that struggles with codependency, share this podcast!  

Inside this podcast, we mention a FREE Treasured Ministries resource called the Nourishing Your Heart eBook. Click here to download.  

Today’s podcast is from our Treasured Devotion Series called Godly Girl Power. Want to learn more about finding freedom from codependency while you walk through the book of Ephesians? Click here to discover more.  

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Breaking Unhealthy Cycles

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Ready to break free from unhealthy cycles? What hurt has caused your heart to break in such a way that it has put you in an unhealthy cycle of looking to people to meet your needs? Sometimes past hurts in our life that we had no control over can cause unhealthy cycles. Often the solution we are seeking and the source that provides it will never satisfy. And when people help us, they can often hinder us by reinstating our cycles through enablement. But when Jesus heals, he heals the hidden root issue to release our hearts to live in freedom. In today’s podcast, find out how to break free from unhealthy cycles through the power of Jesus’ name.

Links mentioned inside today’s podcast:

www.TreasuredTribe.com 

www.nourishbiblestudymethod.com 

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Core Strength

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As you wait and spread the wings of your heart through complete surrender, the very breath of God fills you with quiet strength and lifts your life to soar. And from that eternal perspective, you are carried with strength beyond your understanding for a purpose for beyond yourself.

“But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

You were not made to strive in your limited strength. You were created to soar with godly girl power as you surrender to Christ and live for his glory. 

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.

Be wise brave heart by letting this core truth anchor you during seasons of waiting. Disappointments can cause our hearts slowly to drift away as we pull up our self-protective measures. We take over the reins of our life again. Vow to pull ourselves up by our boot straps. Giving our whole heart to God seems risky, so while we might play the part by attending church, our hearts are far away from God. I’ve been there – how about you.

In our Nourish Scripture this week we see that this drift eventually happened to the church of Ephesus. They are reminded to reflect back to rekindle that love into action (Revelation 2:1-7).

Today is designed as a pause just for you to reflect and review the lessons we learned together on godly girl power through the book of Ephesians. Each truth is connected back to the respective devotion so you can linger longer on lessons that invite your attention. 

What truth was your favorite? Which one will you share with another that has been hit by a wave in life and needs to be anchored to truth so she won’t drift?

Above all remember you were created and redeemed to love God with all your heart and love others as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).  Love is the most powerful force in the world, and that is what Godly girl power is all about.

  • 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.
  • God’s perfect love casts out fear. She who is brave is free to live for Him.
  • 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.
  • Godly girl power flows from great expectations laid at the feet of our mighty God, who can do “immeasurably more” than we could ever ask in prayer. EXPAND your prayer life to reflect the greatness of our Almighty God.
  • One of the greatest gifts you can bring to the world is becoming the woman God created you to be. Part of that journey is to embrace your spiritual gifts and use them to love others and fulfill your God-given purpose.
  • Forgiveness carves a path for the mighty river of his love and power to flow.
  • Light overcomes darkness. Shine brightly. Love Bravely.
  • Allowing Christ to redefine our identity and the purpose for which we were created not only impacts our life but the lives of those around us. 
  • Wise women train hard for the race of a life that glorifies God by gearing up with God’s Word. Align your life with Godly girl power by putting on the armor of God.

Nourish Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7 

Got Sword?

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You are God’s child. As his daughter, you can walk in the assurance that He can help you today with whatever battle you face—no matter what it is. 

The battles we face in life go far beyond what we can see. The enemy of our soul is behind the evil that wounds us and leaves us with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. God wants to release his potential within each of us so we can walk in our authentic identity and bring the love of Christ to others. However, Satan, the enemy of our soul, would love to shut down our heart. When that happens, our world suffers and we all lose because every woman is created to bring value to this world.

God’s answer is to armor up and fight the war against the enemy God’s way. 

 “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17, emphasis mine).

God’s Word is our offensive piece of armor in the battle against the enemy of our soul. Jesus drew from the scriptures to defeat Satan’s manipulative tactics of temptation so he could stand firm (Matthew 4:1-11). You too can walk in victory, as you “take the sword with you” through memory and speak it out loud like Jesus.

Memorization allows us to have direct access to life-changing truths anytime and anywhere. 

Got sword? Godly girl power flows from a woman geared up with God’s Word. Defeat the enemy by dedicating five minutes each day to memorize God’s Word.

“I was 28, married, great job, loved the Lord, had just gotten back from another overseas mission trip, and was at the end of the first trimester of my first and long-awaited pregnancy! Life was great, and it was easy to say “blessed be the name of the Lord.” I meant it with all my heart, but it was easy because my life was easy.  

A week after seeing my baby move around on the ultrasound, I was completely and utterly devastated when my baby’s heart stopped beating, and I would go in the hospital as a pregnant, hopeful, future mommy and leave empty-handed and heart-broken.  This was my first brutal taste of suffering in a sinful world.  

All of a sudden, I was forced to face what I had been taught, studied, and believed.  Was God really sovereign? How would this be worked into good? 

At the same time as this deep sorrow, I also was experiencing the abundant grace of the Lord and the peace that passes all understanding that I had read about and sung about all my life.  I had experienced a valley, and there was no going back to who I was before.  I felt that I was experiencing such an intense growth spurt as well as a new level of attacks from the enemy all at the same time. 

When we are walking through suffering with the Light of the World, Satan hates the glory that the Lord receives as we cry blessed be the name of the Lord and show Christ to the world.  The lies of the enemy are crafty. He would want me to believe this was my fault. He would want me to withdraw in shame and sorrow without hope and cover my light. He wouldn’t want me to share with the world the reason for the hope that I have and why I can in my pain lift my hands to my Lord and rejoice. 

 There was a battle going on and I was a new warrior. 

 I sought the wisdom of a well-respected friend and asked her to mentor me through this process, and the Lord used this Titus 2 relationship to change my life.  We gathered on a regular basis to pray, study the Bible, and read through a book together, but there was one thing in particular that the Lord taught me through her that stands out above all else.  She encouraged me to meditate on scripture and to memorize it.  I had grown up in church and had memorized verses here and there (and of course knew the key gospel verses), but memorizing chunks of scripture at a time was a daunting challenge. She encouraged me to pick a book of the Bible and just go for it one verse at a time.  

I, of course, was flooded with excuses of limited time and poor memory, but she said to me, “if I can do it, you can do it.”  Well, I humbly gave it a go.  It took a little bit to figure out what version worked best for my memory and to find a technique that fit me. I was slow, but it got easier and easier.  

Then, the most amazing thing happened!!!!  As I carried around the sword in my mind and on my heart, it was suddenly relevant all the time!  It was relevant in conversations with friends, coworkers, and it was my weapon in the times when I was alone and the enemy would whisper and seek to discourage.  

About six months later, I found myself back in the hospital toward the end of the first trimester of my second pregnancy.  What appeared to be another devastating miscarriage ended up being a sub-chorionic hemorrhage that would resolve, and eventually, I would give birth to my little boy. However, while laying in the hospital waiting for the ultrasound, I thought I had lost him.  I remember so clearly praying that the Lord would give me strength and grace to get through this again.  

This time was different though- I had my sword! 

I had the first few chapters of James already in my head and was able to meditate on it while laying there feeling anxious and afraid.  GAME CHANGER! WARRIOR! 

Wise women train hard for the race of a life that glorifies God by gearing up with God’s Word.

For me this was the beginning of a marathon of different trials, but the Lord is teaching me to fuel up with His word and run hard. He is teaching me how to prepare for battle! 

My next 7 years would include more miscarriages, an overseas move, the sudden death of my mother, and many other ups and downs.  

No matter the season, whether mountain or valley, studying the Word and memorizing the word will always produce fruit that glorifies God and points others to the Light of the World. 

This is a battle, ladies, and we shouldn’t wait another day to evaluate our training plans! You can do it and you must! 

Run hard and carry your sword!  If I can do it, you can do it!”

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Legacy

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Hey brave heart, leave blessings in your wake for future generations and make a difference. You can spend a lifetime replaying your past or trying to change your family members. You can play the blame game. I know this – I’ve been there. This doesn’t solve things, and it gives power to people who cannot build God’s dream in your life.  

OR Brave heart, you can trust God your Heavenly Father and move forward. I like that better – don’t you?

Inside God’s design for family, wives are to be loved as Christ loved the church. This love was sacrificial. It was costly. It brought beauty. Daughters are to be valued and raised without anger through unconditional love. Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands. Indeed, inside God’s family framework we find a model of how God intends to relate to us. The family should be a place of rest, solace, love – a place where we are free to make the mistakes necessary to uncover our true potential – a refuge from the storms of life.

Sadly, under the weight of a broken world, the reality of a perfect family is fractured. Every woman has imperfections in her family. While God’s framework for family is perfect… we are not. The perfect family does not exist because there are no perfect people. But sometimes those fractures are so great, that our hearts can carry deep wounds. I believe this grieves the heart of God.

Be wise brave heart. As much as there is a God that loves us and wants us to have his design for family, there is an enemy of our souls who would love to destroy family. Don’t believe his lies that God’s framework for family doesn’t work – it was fallen humanity that was not there to love you.  

Never forget that Paul’s description of God’s family framework in the book of Ephesians, he writes about our war with the enemy. This order in scripture is no accident. The enemy knows that there is strength in family and would love nothing more than to destroy God’s design (Ephesians 5:21-6:20). 

God in his great redemption has a plan for restoration for our hearts through Jesus. You have a heavenly Father that wants to nourish your heart with truth so you can live the life you were created and redeemed to live. As God’s adopted children through Christ, we can reach out to our true Father and hold on to him.

The key is to turn to God, live by the Spirit, and allow Jesus to have the greatest impact in your life. Researching and analyzing our family can help us understand why we are the way we are, but only the Holy Spirit can change us from the inside out. This is godly girl power. ONWARD!

This is not easy. No one would question that our background shapes our character. The people in our lives influence the way we are. 

All of us have those negative cycles that may feel like inescapable realities. But the reality is we can break the cycles by making new choices. We can choose new life and new legacies for our children. God brings a solution that surpasses self-help, self-determination, and self-effort: God’s solution is found in sonship. God not only adopts you but longs for you to live “led” as his daughter.  

Through Christ, we are adopted into a new family and given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to walk in a new way of life. It’s not an instant change. If you want to live in the freedom of this new family, God will lead you on a slow and deep journey of beautiful internal transformation. This journey is called discipleship. It’s a lifetime process directed by the Holy Spirit. Listen, follow, and watch God unravel cycle after cycle as you surrender to him. 

Cutting new paths is not easy and takes time. Cycles, even if they are destructive, feel comfortable, so moving beyond them is a process.

Leave blessings in your wake for future generations and see new legacies continue to emerge. Reestablish God’s framework in YOUR family and leave a legacy. (Be the first if you have to, brave heart. What an honor!) Could there be any greater blessing in life than that?

 While your family background may influence your character, it doesn’t define your God-given destiny. May the gospel of Christ, which brings you into God’s family give you hope to live beyond your broken family by living by the Spirit. You are a treasure.

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-6:9

Shine

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Once surrounded by the shadows of shame from her wounded heart, the dark cloud of depression settled above her hiding light in her life. She felt heavy. Dark thoughts echoed in her head from the way she was treated.  Seeking relief from the pain from shame, her temporary fixes only gave short-lived relief and slipped her soul into further darkness.

But then one day, someone shared the light of Christ with her. This Light pierced through the pain to see clearly beyond the words that wounded her heart and eclipsed her thinking. This light was powerful. The darkness could not overcome this light (John 1:4-5, Ephesians 5:8-9).

Jesus. The light of the world. Jesus carried both grace and truth to the world – to her. She saw herself differently. She saw God differently. He was love and truth. 

The life of Christ awakened inside her and changed her completely. She found herself singing songs of praise and her heart found the beat of joy again. 

Much like the light of candles that grow in a Christmas candlelight service as light is shared from one candle to another… someone brought this light to her, and now she wanted to make the most out of every opportunity to share this light with others.

At first, she was confused because she felt if she held out truth, she had to let go of love. And at other times she felt if she held out love, she had to let go of truth. 

However, the Lord showed her truth defined love and love defined truth. It was not truth OR love. It was not one or the other. Both were needed, but in order to create the right balance, instead of hanging onto one or the other… Jesus told her– hang onto me by holding on tight to the Holy Spirit. As you are led by the Holy Spirit you will walk in love and truth so that they intertwine to create just the right current to carry my light to a dark broken world.

And as she was led by the Lord, a pattern of love and truth came so closely together that others saw the light of Jesus shining brightly in her. 

Love and truth find perfect balance as we are filled with the Holy Spirit to share the light of Christ.

Light overcomes darkness. That’s godly girl power. Shine brightly. Love bravely.

ONWARD!

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-20

She Was Powerful . . .Because She Forgave

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The wound in her soul was hidden to her eyes but not to her heart. The hurt continued to haunt her life as it seeped out of her soul and stepped into her thought life. No matter how hard she tried to forget what happened, her mind automatically reached into her soul and retrieved the repressed hurt, replaying it again and again. The wound owned her, and it was growing bigger even though her offender was miles away. 

She wanted to be free. She felt powerless.

“Just forgive,” she heard her pastor say. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one each other just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

 But what IS forgiveness? Instead of this advice bringing freedom to her soul, it often brought frustration. She was tired of being a doormat others used to wipe their feet. But she had to do something. Her buried hurt emotions were building to the point of breaking her.

This struggle is my story. Is it yours too? Who doesn’t struggle with forgiving someone who hurt her heart?

Opposed to our human nature and often misunderstood, forgiveness is a hard concept to grasp. Forgiveness is not saying what happened was okay. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting what happened. Forgiveness does not mean trusting the person . . . but it does mean trusting God to handle the situation. 

Forgiveness is letting go of your right to retaliate by releasing your offender to God.

If you retaliate, you are allowing your offender to control your life. If you repress your emotions or deny them, you’ll swallow that anger and plant the seed of bitterness in your soul. Revenge, repression, retaliation . . . they all put you in a prison. But releasing the offense to God allows the GREAT I AM to control your life. And with that release comes freedom.

Being real about your hurt and bringing that pain to God opens the door for healing. Showing love to your enemies dissolves your offender’s power to hurt you because it confirms God is in control of your life.

When you release others, you open your hands to receive from God, the only One who can redeem and restore.

God wants you to be powerful, not passive. But godly girl power does not rest in revenge—it rests in love. Love is a powerful force and puts God in control instead of your offender. Forgiveness carves a path for the mighty river of God’s love and power to flow to you—and through you to others! 

God has a great purpose for your life. He wants you to spend your energy, your purpose—not dwelling on buried hurts or revenge, but focusing on his purpose for your journey. Focusing on God’s purpose for your life is an essential, effective way to live. You are not responsible for your offender’s actions, but you are responsible for how you respond. God saw what happened to you. He is not asking you to say what happened was okay—but he does want you to turn it over to him. 

For you to be okay, you must treat the wound his way.

When you retaliate, your offender is in control. When you respond in love and forgiveness, God is in control. Forgiveness carves a path for the mighty river of his love and power to flow.

Who will rule your heart? Your offender . . . or God? God never gives us a command without promising the power to walk that truth. On your own, this love is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  Don’t let your offender steal your power one more day. Wounds are never easy to deal with, – just for today take the first step…bring God your willing heart.  

She told God she was ready to forgive. She didn’t want to, but that was okay. God wrapped his arms around her and told her if she was willing, he would help her. It was a process and didn’t happen overnight. But when she let go of the painful relationship and released that person to God, a door opened in her soul. Redemption came in and healed the raw wound in her heart. God redeemed all that had been lost in ways beyond anything she could have ever dreamed.

She was free. She was fearless. She was powerful . . . because she forgave!

(Jesus said the truth will set you free. At Treasured Ministries we believe that two of the biggest barriers to forgiveness are misconceptions about forgiveness and how to practically put this command into practice. To discover more about this topic listen to these two podcasts.

“Forgive But Not Forget” by Beth Vogt
“How to Forgive” by Carla Ross

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 4:24-32

Let It Go!

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Whether the disciples knew it or not, as they gathered around the table to take part in Passover, their meal symbolically portrayed what Christ would accomplish on the cross in a matter of hours. Jesus paused on his pathway to the cross long enough to prepare his disciples for the hours that would follow. The events of the next days would test their faith.

It is significant that Christ was crucified on Passover. The Israelites in Egypt provided their own Passover lambs to save their households, as God had instructed. But Christ himself became the Passover Lamb for the whole world—without defect because he was without sin (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Bible says that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as a Lamb without blemish or sin (1 Peter 1:19).

Isaiah 53 describes Christ as our Lamb who would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, and be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. His stripes would bring healing; his chastisement would bring peace. And his soul would be made an offering for sin. When we come into the new covenant, we can rest in Christ!

God rescued the Israelites from slavery when they put the lamb’s blood on the door. Jesus rescues us when we put our faith in his shed blood.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we apply the blood of Jesus Christ over the door of our heart by putting our faith in his finished work on the cross. The shed blood of Christ rescues us from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the dominion of darkness (Colossians 2:8–15).

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7).

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Renewing our minds gives us the power to put our rescue in Christ and releases our old life to take hold of the new. That’s godly girl power!

Read the following out loud:

Jesus took all my sin and gave me a right standing with God. Jesus took all my sorrows and gave me his joy. He took all my anxiety and gave me his peace. Jesus took all my shame and allowed me to hold my head high. He took all my weakness and gave me his mighty strength through the power of his Spirit. He gave me the armor of God for protection against the enemy’s attacks (Ephesians 6:10–18). He took all my sickness and depression and healed me body, soul, and spirit (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53). He crucified my flesh and gave me the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Everything that Jesus has, all that his name means, all that his life represents, is mine. He lives inside me. Because of him, God has invited me to eat from his table and share in his Son’s inheritance.

Spiritually, Jesus broke the power of sin in my life. He took my religion and gave me a relationship instead. He took my fear and gave me love (1 John 4:18). He bound up my broken heart (Isaiah 61:1) and proclaimed my freedom. Jesus took my filthy rags and adorned me with a robe of righteousness and a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3). The curse of the law is broken (Galatians 3:13). And now I am free to have the power of his Spirit (Acts 1:8) and choose to walk into a new way of life.

Treasured one, find godly girl power in our Nourish Scripture this week as we remember our rescue so we can release our old life to take hold of the new. See you for the Treasured Tribe Talk on Thursday!

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24