Authentically Aliene

An Easter Hallelujah

April 15, 2019 by Aliene

On Easter, we celebrate the powerful message that Jesus has risen.

The gospel of John records that precious moment when Mary Magdalene could not bring herself to leave Jesus’ empty tomb…

Weeping, she turned from the angels still in the tomb and saw a man she assumed to be a gardener. But when Mary realized the truth—that her Savior was standing before her—she ran into his arms. Jesus told her, “Go and tell the disciples I have risen.” Her countenance changed and off she went to carry out her task.

What a difference knowing the truth made in the way she lived.
What a difference it makes in all our lives.
What a difference in the lives around us when we take on the task of sharing the good news that Jesus is risen with others.

Praise be to God for his living word which makes a difference in our life. We can let go completely of the old covenant to celebrate the new!

Jesus Is Still Turning Broken Hearts to Brave Hearts

It touches my heart the way Jesus revealed himself to a woman on Easter morning.

He called Mary by name. He turned her weeping into something wonderful.

That’s something to celebrate. Because He lives, Jesus is turning tears into triumph. Broken hearts to brave hearts.

Jesus is still speaking to hearts today as we seek Him through His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word written on our hearts through the Holy Spirit goes beyond knowledge and makes a lasting impact on us—and through us makes a difference in the lives of those around us.

Turn your weeping into something wonderful as you seek Jesus through his Word.

For your Easter Week, we invite you to enjoy a poem Millicent Phillips has written about, print a copy for yourself and share one with a friend! Click here to view the poem.

Nourish Scripture: John 20:11-18

Do you want to find more peace and joy from your connection with Jesus? Download Nourishing Your Heart today to learn how!

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © Copyright Treasured Ministries 2019

Abiding Mindset Shift

March 25, 2019 by Aliene

Jesus Christ holds out his hand and reaches beyond your past, your mistakes, your imperfections, and your shame with this invitation: Come just as you are. Abide with me. As you connect with me, you will prosper with the fruit of agape love to fulfill the primary command of the new covenant—loving others as the Lord has loved you.

And while this sounds so beautifully simplistic, the enemy of your soul will often tempt you to try manufacturing this fruit on your own.

This temptation is deceptive because it appears righteous. But Jesus made it clear that our efforts, no matter how noble or great, cannot enable us to bear fruit.

It’s all about him.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 NIV

Experiencing Frustration in Your Walk

Are you frustrated in your walk with Jesus? Yeah, sometimes I find myself there too…

I have discovered that the solution is not to work harder but to shift my mindset. My frustration comes from trying to pour new wine back into old wineskins. I learned that to get back on track, I have to shift my thinking. How about you? Are you ready to do that?

It’s time to change your focus to the abiding mindset.

Effort, no matter how great, placed in the wrong direction is not effective. The lack of fruit in our lives is not from a lack of effort but effort placed in the wrong direction.

Plugging into the presence of Jesus grows healthy roots that lead to healthy fruit. Frustration in our walk with Jesus can surface when we slip back into the old covenant mentality by striving to keep religious rules instead of finding the strength of lasting transformation in a relationship with Jesus.

Authentic healing happens from a heart nourished by the source of life. The Nourish Bible Study Method can help you make this a reality in your life by transforming your approach to Bible study.

What Is an Abiding Mindset?

An abiding mind–set chooses to place efforts in the right direction.

Abiding, dwelling, and remaining with Jesus means staying close to him through a personal intimate relationship. It is the choice to receive agape love, increasing your capacity to fulfill the command of the new covenant: love others as Jesus has loved you.

Abiding is a mindset that chooses to believe God works all things for your good.

Abiding means you will experience pruning.

Intimacy with Jesus is not the absence of adversity. God works through the grit of life to create pearls.

Sometimes the Lord’s most glorious gardening is cultivated through pruning (James 1:2–4). When you experience pruning, don’t pull away. Instead, press into the Lord by believing God is for you.

Abiding is a mindset shift that elevates your prayer life to a boldness that bears the name of Jesus (John 15:7).

One year the Lord revealed to me that while I had no problem praying bold prayers for my family and friends, I was reluctant to ask God boldly in prayer for what I needed. When I sought the Lord, asking him why, he showed me that the issue lay in unbelief and the pride of self-reliance.

Also, God showed me that lies from the enemy that I was not worthy enough were NOT TRUE!

Abiding is choosing authentic humility as you depend on the Father through bold prayer.

The pathway of surrendering your self-reliance opens your arms wide to receive from God. All prayers are submitted above all to God’s will—his plan and timing (see Luke 22:39–46). You can pray with confidence and then rest in the absolute assurance that God loves you. Don’t decide for him by praying small!

Shift your mindset. Start today by diving into what abiding means through our Weekly Nourish Scripture, John 15.

You are God’s child. Jesus Christ holds out his hand wanting to spend time with you. Joy and agape love . . . provision through prayer . . . essential nourishment for the soul . . . becoming the woman God created you to be . . . are all waiting for you.

Weekly Nourish Scripture: John 15

Discover how to connect with the nourishment every Bible passage has for your life. Download Nourishing Your Heart today!

Living Words

March 4, 2019 by Aliene

Dear Treasured Tribe,

Imagine you knew you only had a short time left to live and wanted to share a last meal with loved ones.

Whom would you invite?
What meal would you share together?
And most important, what final words would you carefully choose to speak over those who graced your table?

Words matter. But last words can leave a legacy to those you love.

Of course, not everyone knows when their time on earth is coming to an end, but Jesus did.

Before the dawn of time, the Father designed a plan to redeem us from sin through the sacrifice of his one and only Son. Our Savior. Our Lord and Passover Lamb. The time had arrived on God’s kingdom calendar for perfect love—and the entire reason Jesus came to earth—to come to pass. The passion of the cross.

“And Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father” (John 13:1 NLT).

The Last Words and Actions of Jesus

As with everything he did, Jesus intentionally chose his last actions on earth with divine precision down to every eternal detail to fulfill his Father’s plan, including the words he expressed to his beloved disciples over the most significant Passover meal in history. While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the Passover meal itself, John’s Gospel expands the experience over five chapters of Scripture, zooming in to emphasize other events and details, including those last precious words.

And those words breathed the very life of heaven into earth, singing a beautiful prelude to the New Covenant.

Living words.

Eternal words.

Healing words.

Life-giving words.

Glory-defined words.

Tucked carefully inside the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit preserved those precious words so you and I could savor them today.

Reflecting on these words is important. When we savor these last words, we are reminded of our glorious inheritance in Christ and can stand firm in who we really are and become all God created us to be.

Welcome to “Last Words,” a Treasured Ministries Weekly Word Series for Lent on John 13–17. Come and prepare your heart for Easter by gathering around the table with Jesus and hearing those words once more. Let go of the old to embrace the new. In this series, you will . . .

start your week with inspiration by receiving a devotion every Monday designed to draw your heart closer to Jesus as Easter approaches.
savor those last words Jesus spoke as you apply the Nourish Bible Study Method to John 13–17. Want to discover the Nourish Bible Study Method to prepare yourself for your journey? Check out these resources.
reflect and recapture the truth of your New Covenant position in Christ through truth found in John 13–17.
understand the power of the Living Word, what that means, and how you can apply it to your life so you can share these truths with others during Lent to make a difference.

I am beyond excited to share this journey with you!

ONWARD!

Aliene Thompson

Nourish Scripture: John 13

Learn how to spend time in God’s Word in such a way that it IMPACTS the way you live by downloading Nourishing Your Heart today!

Divine Disconnect

February 18, 2019 by Aliene

Eve Experiencing a Divine Disconnect in the Garden

A flaming sword closed the entrance to the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve stood beyond the angel-guarded gate with no way to return to Eden and the tree of life, a previous provision now severed by a sword strategically placed by God himself. Like bitter mingled with sweet, the flaming weapon stood with the mighty cherubim and created an unbreakable barrier to the bounty in Eden.

God let the sword fall to protect Eve from her previous provision and move her forward to a new and greater provision.

She had sinned. If she ate from the tree of life, she would have lived in a sin-filled state forever instead of experiencing the eternal life provided through a new source that would come—JESUS.

A divine disconnect is often designed to protect us and reconnect us to greater provision.

Trading a Past Provision for a Greater One

Have you been severed from a God given-provision that once fed your soul—and don’t understand why it happened?

Was it a job?
A relationship?
A place or position?

Did you try to recapture your past provision only to experience further rejection?

I’ve been there . . . fist pounding at the door in prayer, desperate to understand why God closed a door in my life. Let me back in! Like being slammed by a fast-moving revolving door, anytime I tried to step back into my past provision—wham—I would experience a slap of pain that would send me swiftly backpedaling.

I was angry and living in regret as I pined over my past provision. I failed to keep my eyes on Jesus and take hold of my future.

But now I’m on the other side—and can see. Now I understand. A divine disconnect is often designed to protect us and reconnect us to greater provision.

Have you experienced a painful severing? Trust God, and invest your energy in moving forward by keeping your eyes on Jesus.

Nourish Scripture: Psalm 91

Holy Hold-Up

February 11, 2019 by Aliene

Have you ever thought of the hold-ups in your life as holy hedges of protection? Consider this—during holy hold-ups, the Holy Spirit is hovering and working on your behalf behind the scenes to build something beautiful.

This is an area where I have to continually renew my mind. But I have learned that in the resting and the waiting—in those times in our lives when prayers don’t seem to be answered and we cannot see God working—the Holy Spirit hovers to bring forth a great work of God.

God’s Timing Is Perfect

God created the world with the precision and order of a Master Planner.

Before there were plants, there had to be light to support the plants.
Before there was man, there had to be plants to nourish man.

Nothing was out of order—one step was completed before the next began. His timing was always perfect. And God hasn’t changed. Just as he was the Master Planner of creation, he is building our lives according to his divine purpose and detail.

Sometimes when the Holy Spirit is hovering, I want to hurry and take matters in my own hands—and I get out of step with the Holy Spirit; worry and anxiety set in.

When there are hold-ups in my life and I don’t see God working just yet—how would my attitude change if I consider these hold-ups to be holy?

The Holy Spirit Has a Plan

The Holy Spirit was hovering over a nothingness blob before it turned into something beautiful (Genesis 1:1). When all I see are blobs, may I remember that the Holy Spirit is hovering and has a plan to create something beautiful. When I want to run ahead of God and make things happen, may I remember that the holdup is often a hedge of protection—a gathering of carefully planned provision from the Master Planner.

Rest and trust give us salvation. Often quietness is our strength (Isaiah 30:15).

God is working his master plan and his timing is perfect. Thanking God today for the provision, planning, protection, and divine purpose that come from a Holy Hold-up!

Nourish Scripture: Genesis 1

Mountains Can Move

February 4, 2019 by Aliene

That overwhelming mountain before you…the one that is unsettling your soul… you don’t have to handle it on your own.

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God.’ I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Mark 11:22-25

Mountains Move with Prayer

Sometimes I get distracted and drag doubt like a dark cloud over my eyes of faith by complaining about the mountain instead of speaking to it.

Instead of addressing the mountain through prayer, I choose to just walk around it, grumbling all the way. I may even throw a pity party and invite a friend or two along. But this never solves my problems. Instead, it adds fuel to them because it turns my focus and faith on the problem instead of Jesus.

Beware, Braveheart, as you behold the mountain before you. Complaining brings doubt into the equation and never equals a good result.

Reaching out for godly counsel is wise, but be careful that you don’t end up just sharing your complaints with a friend, and end up going around and around the mountain repeatedly. “But she understands me!” you may want to say. This may be true, but she can’t meet your needs.

Only Jesus can do that.

Mountains move at prayer parties, not pity parties. When girlfriends gather to pray, great things happen for God’s glory.

Gather your friends, pray together and watch mountains move! Who will you reach out to today?

Nourish Scripture: Mark 11:12-25

Shine

January 28, 2019 by Aliene

God would not stop until He won the argument—the lives of His chosen people were at stake. God wanted Moses to shepherd the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt into the freedom and blessings of the Promised Land. But Moses continued to argue.

To protest His God-given purpose.

Never mind the burning bush or the promises of the powerful arm of the great I AM. Never mind his brothers and sisters held captive in slavery.

Moses was focused on himself and his inadequacies.

God was not impressed with this false humility. In fact, the Bible says God was angry (Exodus 4:14). When God calls – we have a choice: Will I argue with His Word or align my life with His Word? When we align, we rise and shine.

False Humility Does Not Reflect His Light

Mmm mm mm. Let that one sit inside your soul for a while. False humility does not impress God. It may win the hearts of religious Pharisees, who pull others down to prop themselves up. But to God, false humility is simply self-focus. False humility forgets about God’s power and paralyzes us with fear.

It is not about my ability—it’s about my willingness to take God at his Word!

Sometimes, like Moses, I argue with God.

Who am I to serve you? What will people think? Others don’t respect me because of my past failures. Why would anyone listen to me? I am not good enough. I am inadequate. I am afraid of failing!

Then others times, I stop trying so hard to “be” and just surrender to the power of the GREAT I AM and rest in him. I am not called to create light—I am called to reflect the light of Jesus by listening to and being led by the Holy Spirit. But when my heart is turned inward in false humility, it is not facing the right direction to reflect his light.

You are a treasure. God created you to shine by reflecting his glory as you turn your heart to his.

Your ability or His? Argue or align? Your choice today determines your destiny tomorrow. Lean on God, his strength and ability, and power! His plan. When you surrender, you shine by reflecting his glory, and your life creates a path for others to see Jesus.

Have you argued with God this week about something he wants you to do? Dwell on his promises in the Bible instead of your inadequacies. Dwell on Jesus and his power—and watch your courage rise!

Nourish Scripture: Exodus 4

Holy Ground

January 21, 2019 by Aliene

It was holy ground—the place where God’s spoken words revealed Moses’ purpose to him. The burning bush grabbed Moses’ attention . . . but it was God’s words that captured his heart. Every syllable was sacred. His words were living and active.

They became reality.
They shaped Moses’ identity.
They changed his life and would, in turn, change the lives of others.

What is your God-given purpose? When you seek God’s plan by approaching him through the Bible—as Moses approached God’s presence in the burning bush—you too are standing on holy ground.

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.

You are a treasure. God created you to shine by reflecting his glory as you turn your heart to his.

The words God whispers to your heart are holy, for they are his. Guard them. They are meant to write your story so the greatest story—the gospel of Jesus Christ—can be told by your life.

Stand on Holy Ground

Don’t ever trample on the holy ground of your God-given purpose by giving more weight to the words of other people than to God’s. Stay close to God by meditating on the Bible so his words are the loudest. So they drown out words from others—and even from yourself—that would contradict God’s Word or distract you from your God-given purpose.

His words are a sacred trust.

They are the framework for the holy ground in which seeds of the gospel may be planted for others to see Christ. Don’t argue with others or defend yourself.

The great I AM is calling you, dear friend, and that is enough.

Nourish Scripture: Exodus 3