Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

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Perspective Shift

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Hi Treasured One,

What was your favorite memory from this past summer?

With fall close at our heels, I am ready to wave goodbye to Summer and welcome pumpkins and butternut squash soup. While happy to see my bathing suits head to the summer clothes storage bin (anyone else but me?!?), I will gladly hold the memories from our family summer Colorado trip dearly in my mind.

Enter our two-day rafting camping trip in the Colorado wilderness rafting down the roaring Arkansas River (emphasis my trip).

When you are married to a great outdoorsman and the mother of two boys who love exploration, on vacay you either join the party of outdoor adventure or sit in the condo.

(Can I get a witness?)

As we watched the safety video detailing rafting risks (which included death BTW), I felt my stomach flutter in fear as I heard their talk,

“Make sure you listen to your guide and let them lead you. Don’t worry about the rocks and the rapids, your job is to listen and follow the guide’s lead, so you can live the great adventure.”

Got it. Listen to the guide. As we signed our life away in the release form, I said a prayer to the Lord, the Ruler of All Nature. “Keep us alive.”

Enter Erika – our guide.  (She is pictured with me in the photo above).

As we began our trip down the river my soul survival mechanism of control kicked in.

While I listen to Erika give commands, in my mind I am questioning her ability and rowing cautiously. At one point I almost fell into the water. Erika must have caught wind of my fear because when my husband pulled me back into the raft she held my eyes with a reassuring look, quickly calming me with her confident voice,

“Don’t worry. If you fall in I will rescue you. I know the river. I know what’s ahead. Just listen and let me lead you. The best is yet to come. Now look up, enjoy the amazing scenery and keep listening to me.”

Shifting my sight up, my eyes rested on beautiful snow-capped mountains. The rushing river soothed my soul as the sound echoed in my ears. My grip relaxed on the paddles and I started to smile.

Adventure ON!

Erika was nothing short of amazing. She gave us clear direction to follow as we successfully navigated around seemingly impossible obstacles of rock and rapids. I can still hear her confident call, “Forward four! Left, give me two back. Lean in.”

Without rocks there would be no rapids. What I feared, she used as leverage to make us flow to our final destination. Mmmmmm

Enter Perspective Shift

Sometimes God uses life’s moments to paint pictures of spiritual principals. Jesus often used parable stories from everyday life to help others capture kingdom concepts. He did this for me on that trip two-day rafting trip in Colorado.

As we paddled, I pondered on this modern-day parable the Lord was painting for me:

  • The adventure of abundant life is not without the absence of adversity.
  • As I listen to the Lord and let him lead me, adversity becomes my advantage to push me in the direction of my final destination. Resilience to bounce back into a broken world comes from resting God’s leading not retreating out of life.

Enter our next Treasured Ministries Weekly Word Series. Resilience: bouncing back in a broken world. In this nine-week study you will:

  • Discover practical biblical principles for resilience as you walk through the entire book of 1 Peter.
  • Gain self-control to respond to the Holy Spirit rather than react to circumstances as you discern God’s truth through the Nourish Bible Study Method. Find additional resources here.
  • Be encouraged by supporting resources for your journey, including our podcast.

Find community with our Treasured Tribe. The Treasured Tribe is a community of women that look to God’s Word to define our identity. Join us for small group every week with our Facebook Live Message on the weekly nourish scripture. Come together live or catch the replay later.

You are God’s child, and whatever happens in this crazy world of ours, you can bounce back and become the woman God created you to be.

ONWARD!

Blessings,

Aliene

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.

Reward

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People can hurt us, lie to us, label us, steal from us, but they cannot prevent God’s purpose in our lives. I know sometimes it certainly seems that way, but this is the truth: The problem is not with people it is our perspective of people. You are not a victim. You are a child of God. Head up treasured one and look to God for your reward (Hebrews 11:6).

In today’s podcast, shifting your reality by believing that God rewards those who seek him.

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The Opportunity of Offense

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God never let go of Joseph. God was with Joseph in the pit, the prison, and finally the palace, all the while building his dream. Wise Joseph prepared and guided Egypt through a severe famine, but his greatest test was yet to come: forgiving his family.

Offenses from those closest to us hit our hearts hardest because of the proximity we share. We have all been there. You might be in that place right now. But what if we saw offense as an opportunity?

Sometimes if we shift our focus on a matter, our perspective can change. Let’s take a second look at forgiveness. Let’s shift our focus and see offense as an opportunity to trust the Dream Builder.

Understanding Forgiveness

Opposed to our human nature and often misunderstood, forgiveness is a hard concept to grasp.

Forgiveness is not saying that 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.

Joseph forgave his brothers but wisely tested their hearts to see if he could trust them. Joseph cared for his brothers, yet there were physical boundaries in place. His brothers did not work side by side with Joseph—they served as shepherds in the fields. In Genesis 50 after Jacob died, we see that the brothers feared that Joseph would finally seek revenge. This indicates to me that their relationship was not intimate.

Boundaries are healthy and biblical, but bitterness is not. However, when you grow up believing that boundaries or saying no is wrong, sometimes the only boundary we know how to set is that of the bitterness in our hearts. And all the while in our misunderstanding we are playing right into the enemy’s hands as bitterness fills our hearts and creates a barrier to the presence of the Holy Spirit, not our offender.

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 enemy dissolves your offender’s power to hurt you because it confirms that God is in control of your life. As you look to the Lord to defend you—he will! As you look to the Lord to restore what is lost—he will! Redirect your energy by pouring it into your purpose.

Offense can be an opportunity, not an obstacle, when we see it as an open door to trust God. When you release others, you open your hands to receive from God, the only one who can redeem and restore.

“Joseph replied . . . ‘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. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.’” (Genesis 50:19–21).

The Power in Love

God wants you to be powerful, not passive. But God’s power does not rest in revenge—it rests in love. Love is a powerful force and puts God in control instead of your offender. Spend your energy on your purpose—not dwelling on buried hurts or revenge. Focusing on God’s purpose for your journey 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 that what happened was okay—but he does want you to turn it over to him.

God has a dream for you. Amazing things can happen when you give control of your life over to the Dream Builder and trust him with childlike faith.

What is your dream? Only when we lay our dreams at the feet of Jesus in complete surrender will we find freedom and the real joy that comes only from trusting Jesus as Lord over our lives. Your Dream Builder will meet your deepest needs at the place of greatest surrender. Onward. You matter. Your purpose matters. Don’t give up. Instead, give in and watch God build his dream through you.

The devotion you read today is taken from Dream Builder: a six-week study on Joseph and the Patriarchs from the Nourish Bible Study Series. Consider Dream Builder for your next Bible Study and find the courage to dream again.

Nourish Scripture:  Genesis 50

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.

Authentic Alignment

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Hey, visionary you’re right where you need to be. Vision is God’s provision to pull us out of the past and propel us toward our purpose. But often in our excitement to build the vision, we can create our own plan, picture, and timetable with HOW the vision will come to pass. I did this and when my life turned out differently, I was devastated, confused, and depressed. But here’s what I learned God is not only the author of the vision he is the architect. His ways are different but oh so much more divine.

In today’s podcast, resting in your authentic alignment to live the abundant life.

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Soul Source of Courage

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Young Joseph caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife, and she sought after the handsome young servant. Instead of using her influence for good purposes, she wielded her power to satisfy her own desires.

How long had Joseph served in Potiphar’s house before she decided to seduce him? Was there intimidation in the inflection of her voice as she boldly invited Joseph to come to her bed?

Day after day, with persistence and manipulation, she did her best to wear Joseph down and gain control over him. But Joseph stood strong in the Lord. Finally, in an act of desperation, she grabbed Joseph’s arm, presumably to embrace him. But he squirmed out of his cloak and fled the house, leaving her embarrassed and wrathful.

With the cloak as her “evidence,” she crafted a lie to cover her shame. He had fully rejected her, and now he would pay. This time instead of being hurled into a pit, he was thrown into a prison. Although Potiphar’s wife was more powerful than Joseph, she was no match for the Dream Builder. God was with Joseph, and God is with you.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Whom Shall I Fear?

Potiphar’s wife may have been a young beauty, a physical peer to Joseph. If that were the case, I am sure Joseph’s body was crying out to give in, yet he refused. Or perhaps she was middle-aged or unattractive. Even so, from the world’s point of view his position and security were in her hands, but still Joseph refused.

This inspires me.

What was the source of his courage?

In two verses of Scripture we receive a life-changing revelation:

“How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:9–10 NIV)

While Potiphar’s wife was powerful, God’s influence in Joseph’s life was exponentially greater. Even though Joseph was afraid, he chose to do the right thing.

He was more afraid to sin by refusing God than he was to refuse Potiphar’s wife.

The world would have seen Potiphar and his wife as the source of Joseph’s success, but Joseph knew his real source. God was the source of his courage, his strength, and his convictions. He knew Potiphar’s wife was small compared with the God of Abraham. Joseph feared the Lord more than he feared people.

God Will Lift Us Up

God will rescue, restore, redeem. Joseph was not a victim. He humbled himself under God’s mighty hand, and in due time God lifted him up for his purpose (1 Peter 5:6–7). As Joseph sat in prison, it seemed that Potiphar’s wife was still in control. But the Dream Builder, in his own time and in his own way, rescued Joseph from prison. In one moment the Lord promoted Joseph to second in command in Egypt.

In one moment God can redeem what was lost in a lifetime.

Everything Joseph touched flourished. God gave him favor and success. Joseph knew that God was the source of his blessing, so he was free to serve God alone.

The problem is not with the people—it is with our perspective of people. People are not the source of your dream. Release your fear of people by changing your perspective of God. God is your source, brave heart.

Yahweh. God. The Lord is his name. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. He is a strong tower. A fortress. He is mighty to save. The winds and waves obey his commands. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8 NIV).

He is Lord over all, including your purpose. Onward!

The devotion you read today is taken from Dream Builder: a six-week study on Joseph and the Patriarchs from the Nourish Bible Study Series. Consider Dream Builder for your next Bible Study and find the courage to dream again.

Nourish Scripture: Genesis 39–41

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.

Answering Adversity

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There will always be haters, brave heart. Those people that want to hold you down because your dream threatens them. Are you expending mental energy on haters? Don’t waste your time. God has a solution for that and you’ve got a dream to dive into.

Want more? Join me for today’s Podcast.

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True Validation

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The Dream Builder builds the dreamer and the dream. Other people cannot validate your purpose. But often we look to people we can see to validate us and find ourselves on an endless, meaningless quest.

But you are God’s chosen treasure, designed for a unique purpose. Daily embrace this truth in the core of your heart and find freedom to become the woman God created you to be.

Joseph’s Bold Move

Joseph’s brothers, full of envy, could not validate Joseph—or his dream. When Joseph made a bold move describing his dream to his brothers, I believe he had a strong faith in God and was excited about his dream. But I also believe he hoped his bold announcement would prove to his brothers that he was valuable and significant.

Look, brothers! Your hateful words about me were wrong. God thinks I am special. One day you will bow down to me. I am important—you were wrong.

In contrast to Joseph’s brothers, his father, Jacob, loved him deeply. Because Joseph was the favorite, I found his father’s reaction to the dream fascinating. He did not validate Joseph—he rebuked him! Was there a part of Jacob that was afraid to let go of his beloved son? Would Joseph need him anymore? Was he afraid his son would fail? Was he disappointed in Joseph’s poor judgment in parading God’s plan before his brothers, who hated him?

Whatever the reason, when Joseph proclaimed God’s purpose for his life, neither his brothers, who detested him, nor his father, who adored him, validated his dream.

What people in your life are like Joseph’s brothers? So insecure in themselves that they cannot speak kind words to you.

If you look to them for value, you will always leave their presence feeling “less than.”

Look to the Dream Builder

Trying to change those who envy you is a losing battle. You cannot stop them from being jealous of you. That is their choice. But you can choose what voice you will listen to and how you will live.

What about the “Jacobs”—those people in our lives who love and give to us in amazing ways, as Jacob loved his son?

Others may love us greatly, but we cannot expect them to validate our worth. That is an unrealistic expectation that puts a severe strain on any relationship.

Don’t look to them. Don’t even look to your achievements. Look to the Dream Builder.

God’s gifts and call are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Those treasures inside you are yours for life. Your gifts are yours, but what you do with them is your gift back to God. Draw your validation from the Dream Builder, and from that place of abundance share your gifts with others and make a difference.

The devotion you read today is taken from Dream Builder: a six-week study on Joseph and the Patriarchs from the Nourish Bible Study Series. Consider Dream Builder for your next Bible Study and find the courage to dream again.

Nourish Scripture:  Genesis 37

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.

How to Create the Right Atmosphere to Cultivate Community

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Join in as Aliene interviews Janel Dinley, the founder of True Daughters. True Daughters provides a genuine and loving community for girls to know the love of Jesus and find their secure identity in Him. Listen as Janel shares how to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance to put others at ease inside of your small group.

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