Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

Live Treasured Podcast and Blog

Godly Girl Power

by

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.

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).

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 us to stand in the strength that only God can provide. God is your defender, brave heart. 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.

Today we begin our journey together by starting with the book of Acts when Paul says good-bye to the church at Ephesus.

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14

Fearless

by

Failure is never final. It’s the fear of failure that prevents success and steals TRUE CONFIDENCE. In part two of the True Confidence series, learn how to gain confidence to increase your capacity to recover from catastrophe quickly by relying on Christ completely. Get back up and RUN YOUR RACE!

Today’s podcast is from the Treasured Devotion Series called True Confidence. To discover more, click here!

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Spotify | More

What Is the Heart of God?

by

God’s heart is that your heart will align with his. Through this divine alignment, you embrace your identity in Christ and become who he created you to be.

Jesus wants to be more than your Savior. Jesus also wants to be the Lord of your heart. When he reigns in your heart, he unlocks the doors that have been closed to your purpose. You become free to live the life God intended. 

This is God’s joy. 

This is the heart of God.  

3 Keys to Unlock the Heart of God 

  1. The Heart of God Is for You to Pray Bold Prayers

Many of us know that we can “boldly approach the throne of our gracious God” (Hebrews 4:16), but how often do we pray bold prayers? Prayer is a beautiful privilege available to you, as a daughter of the King. He is your Abba Father and longs to hear what is on your heart. He also wants to remind you of what is on his—a faithful promise he intends to keep. 

Bold prayers are more than asking for what you need; they boldly proclaim God’s promises over your problems. 

Through a bold prayer life, you can make your requests known. It also opens up your heart and mind to remember and receive the promises of God. 

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’ And through Christ, our ‘Amen’ (which means ‘Yes’) ascends to God for his glory.”—2 Corinthians 1:20

Bold Prayers Unlock…

  • The hope needed in hopeless situations.
  • The change needed in your thought life to move from oppressed to optimistic. 
  • Faith needed to face your fears.  

The Enemy of Your Bold Prayers

While God calls you to embrace a bold prayer life, the enemy will use any distraction to keep you from coming to Jesus with an authentic heart. Instead of listening to the lies that say, “It is too dangerous to open your heart,” decide today to nourish your soul by watering it with the Word. 

Do This… Find one of God’s promises that speak to your problem and proclaim it!

  1. The Heart of God Is for You to Walk by Faith

You know the verse Isaiah 40:31 that says, “… those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” 

God designed you in a specific way for your faith to grow stronger as you connect with his perfect love.

It is during this season of wait that the seeds of the Word, planted in your heart, are creating an abundant harvest. It’s also during this season you nurture what is possible. 

What does that mean? It means that during the wait, God allows you to walk by faith, displaying his glory and promises to others. Displaying his glory isn’t something you need to strive to do. It supernaturally occurs when you lean into him for strength. 

In this walk, it is the heart of God that others will be nurtured.  

“And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”—Luke 8:15

Walking by Faith Unlocks…

  • The encouragement you need to keep moving forward in your purpose.
  • God’s glory, displaying it for others to see.
  • The belief in the abundant harvest that is promised to come. 

The Enemy of Your Walk of Faith

Because God wants you to walk by faith, the enemy’s tactic is to create doubt, dwindling your faith little by little. He wants you to see it to believe it. He whispers lies such as, “If God wanted you to overcome this problem, you would have already.”

Instead of listening to the lie, decide today to believe what is waiting for you, a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). It is easy to believe in the harvest, but it takes faith to believe it will come when there is no sign. It is in these moments, when we completely surrender, that God’s goodness will overflow in our souls. 

Do This… While you wait, reflect on what God has already fulfilled in your life. Remember, he’s not done with you yet (Philippians 1:6).

  1. The Heart of God Is that You Affirm Your Identity

Who hasn’t questioned their identity? The words from our past often create questions of who we are. From there our minds race to questions about our purpose in life. John 8:36 says that “if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

Do you believe you are free? God designed you for a purpose, but that purpose can only be fulfilled once we understand our identity in him. Imagine you have a lamp so powerful it has the potential of illuminating a forest in the dead of night. But unless that lamp is plugged into the proper power source, its full potential is never experienced. 

In the same way, you can plug into the source of your identity. As soon as we “unplug” from God, our light begins to go dim.  

“’You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.’”—Matthew 5:14-16

Affirming Your Identity Unlocks…

  • The heart of God, aligning your desires with his.  
  • The empowerment to become who God created you to be.
  • The spiritual weapons that remind the enemy that you will never be separated from the perfect love of Christ. 

The Enemy of Your Identity

Words have power. God spoke a word of life over you the moment you were born again. But the enemy attempts to pull you back into your past. He says, “You haven’t changed.” Thank God he changes us! 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”—Psalm 51:10

Do This… The next time the enemy creates doubt, remind him there is no doubt of your identity in Christ.

The Takeaway…

The heart of God is for you to embrace your identity in him, and he will reveal who you were created to be. Your heart matters. You have a purpose that matters. Connecting with God’s heart through his Word unlocks that purpose. The keys are…

  • Bold prayers
  • Walking by faith
  • Affirming your identity

Let’s decide today to change our thought life and have a heart for God’s glory! 

Download the My Heart for His Glory PDF HERE. This PDF helps you identify lies that stand in the way of your purpose and connect you to the heart of God.

Authentic Humility

by

True Confidence and Humility are closely related, not miles apart. In our audio message this week, learn how Confidence and Humility walk hand in hand, discover how to rest easy in the treasure you are, find out how to let go of the leash of needing to prove yourself, and learn to love others out of the deep well of God’s love for you!

Today’s podcast is from the Treasured Devotion Series called True Confidence. To discover more, click here!

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Spotify | More

How Does God Heal a Broken Heart?

by

The Bible says that the Lord “heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).  Treasured One, do you believe these words today? 

There is an enemy of your soul who wants you to doubt these faithful words of God. But today, his lies are going to be exposed and you are going to walk away with the understanding that power of God heals a broken heart. 

How Our Hearts Break

There are many reasons why our hearts become broken. Behind every reason are words. Words matter. They carry a tremendous amount of power. While we’d like to think “words can never hurt me,” or don’t carry any weight, yet this often is not the case. In fact, hurtful words roll off the tongue of someone and hit the drumbeat of our souls. 

That drumbeat starts a pattern of negative thoughts. When we’ve experienced wounds from words, they can continue to haunt us, causing us to feel…

  • Insecure
  • Worried 
  • Fearful

When left untreated, the unseen scars repeat the hurtful words over in your mind like a broken record. The “You ares” you’ve heard spoken over you become the “I ams” for which your soul beats. 

But there is good news, Treasured One. God’s words are more powerful than your past, or the whispering lies of the enemy in the present. Connecting to God’s Word is what begins to heal our broken hearts. 

Good News—God Heals a Broken Heart!

To start healing from a broken heart, fill your mind with God’s Word. Understand this is a process—a process of identifying the lies, agreeing with God’s Word, and renewing your mind on His truth every day—moment by moment. 

Because God heals a broken heart through His words, here are 7 promises from God for you to meditate on today…

  1. “’I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.’”—John 14:27 (emphasis mine)
  2. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”—Proverbs 3:5-6 (emphasis mine)
  3. “’And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.’”—Ezekiel 36:26 (emphasis mine)
  4. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”—Psalm 34:18 (emphasis mine)
  5. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”—2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (emphasis mine)
  6. “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”—Isaiah 43:18 (emphasis mine)
  7. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”—Romans 8:28 (emphasis mine)

Here’s How God Heals a Broken Heart

  1. God Heals a Broken Heart as We Are Aware of Our Thought Life

The more time you start spending in God’s Word, you will see glimpses of his glory inside this broken world. As you read passages—such as Ephesians 1:5 that says you are predestined for adoption through Christ, or Romans 6:6 that says the old self was crucified and is no longer a slave to sin—stop and identify the lies you’ve been told that say otherwise. 

The thoughts that go against God’s Word are begging for your attention. This is why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to destroy proud obstacles that keep you from knowing God. These negative thought patterns keep your heart broken and from seeing glimpses of God’s glory. 

But when we surrender our thought to God, healing begins to take place in our souls. 

  1. God Heals a Broken Heart When We Embrace Our Identity

Our identity in Christ is the key to your offensive weapon inside the battle of your heart. Your identity speaks words into every thought you have. This is why you must renew your mind and affirm your identity every day. 

As you may know, this is a key element of the Nourish Bible Study Method. We write down and affirm who God says we are, and we declare who He is. This shifts our thoughts to “forget about the past,” as the Lord said to Isaiah (Isaiah 43:18), because it is nothing compared to what he is about to do in your life. 

Aligning your identity with Jesus is like an eternal thread that connects you to heaven. The Holy Spirit’s voice will become louder in your life, leading you into healing and purpose. 

  1. God Heals a Broken Heart When We Agree with His Word

As God affirms our identities, the enemy will attempt an attack. At that moment we have a choice. Will we agree with…

  • The words from our past?
  • The words from the enemy?
  • The Word of God who gave you a new heart?

Whichever words you agree with will be the ones that rules in your thought life.

Treasured One, it is time to take hold of the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and speak truth over your life. 

Beware—The Enemy Seeks to Attack the Heart That God Has Healed

This is important to understand: The enemy seeks to attack what has been healed. When you are tempted to fall back into negative thought patterns or to declare self-deprecating words, go back to God’s Word!

There is a battle for your heart. As much as there is a God who loves you, there is also an enemy who plays a tune, knowing the drumbeat of words in your past, waiting for you to start walking in tempo with it. 

But when you acknowledge the pain, identify the lies, and surrender it all to Jesus, God’s words will begin to restore and heal your broken heart. 

Know that this journey of faith isn’t easy, but it is blessed. Healing always starts with surrendering. Do you want to connect to the One who is faithful to heal?

Then start by surrounding yourself with his life-giving Word. Get the Nourishing Your Heart E-book today. It is a free resource from Treasured Ministries that walks you through each step of the Nourish Bible Study Method and shows you how to rely on the Holy Spirit for healing. 

My Story of Control

by

In our podcast this week, I’ll share my story of how control robbed me of confidence and increased insecurity. Discover practical biblical steps to rest confidently in God’s care instead of trying to control everyone and everything around you. Find freedom and confidence to become the woman God created you to be.

Today’s podcast is from the Treasured Devotion Series called True Confidence. To discover more, click here!

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Spotify | More

Changing Your Thought Life

by

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 the Bible, 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.

In today’s podcast, learn more about biblical meditation and how this discipline can make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Spotify | More

Healing Past Hurts Through Prayer

by

We read in the Bible that prayer is powerful. It has the power to break chains of anxiety, shame, and doubt. But what about healing hurts? Can prayer begin to heal your soul from past hurts? When those prayers are given to God, he will dispel the darkness of your past hurts by the healing hand of Christ. 

Why Past Hurts Won’t Heal

Past pain causes us to suppress our feelings. Satan’s goal is to cast feelings of shame and guilt about the hurt you’ve experienced. Ultimately, he wants you to hide it away, never giving it to God, which keeps you from experiencing the healing that comes from Christ.  

The Bible says that Christ makes all things new…

“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

Shame and guilt are the ways the enemy traps us into remaining voiceless. His whispers motivate us to hide. This can cause us to isolate ourselves even more, preventing the freedom we desperately need. Jesus is the only one who can heal past hurts and provide hope. 

In order to begin healing, we must bring our past hurts into the light of the Lord so he can begin the healing process. 

How to Start Healing Past Hurts though Prayer

In prayer, ask God to reveal what is hidden…

  • You may feel hesitant to ask God to begin revealing past hurts, but remember that Christ fulfilled the law, casting your sin away from you as the east is from the west. Satan cannot use your sin to condemn you or keep you from coming to the Healer of your soul!

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”—Psalm 103:12

… because the enemy wants you to hide.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.’”—Luke 5:31-32

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”—Romans 8:1

In prayer, confess to God what is on your hurting heart…

  • When you confess, you are declaring your dependence on God and stripping away the lies the enemy has used to hold you down. To confess is to speak openly. I know that it may seem awkward at first to speak openly in prayer, but this declaration announces to Satan that his lies will no longer condemn you.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”—1 John 1:9

“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”—Proverbs 28:13

… because confession disarms the enemy.

  • The enemy wants you to remain quiet. When you announce your dependence on God, it activates his strength within you. Confession breaks the silence of the enemy, taking away his power over you.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”—Philippians 4:13

“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”—Colossians 2:14-15

In prayer, surrender your past hurts to God…

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”—James 4:7, 10

“I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.”—Jeremiah 10:23

… because it is there that you will find freedom. 

  • After you have asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the past hurts that are holding you back from your freedom and purpose, you have a choice. You can embrace the freedom you have in Christ or listen to the words of the enemy that attempt to pull you back into hiding. 

The beauty of the Gospel is that God will take all things and use them for your good and his glory. But we must rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), choosing his way of surrender. 

This may be an hourly or daily choice for some, but over time, God’s Word will prosper in your life. Each moment of praise, prayer, and verse you declare to the Lord is a seed that will produce a great harvest. 

Allow the Spirit to water your soul and watch as God turns your pain into promises—for his glory.

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”’”—John 7:37:39

“’You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.’”—Genesis 50:20

Are you looking for a way to use God’s truth every day to counteract the lies of the enemy? Then download My Heart for His Glory for FREE!

It’s a PDF designed for you to use anytime you feel hurtful words of your past try to open wounds that have been healed by Jesus.

Get your FREE download HERE!