Authentically Aliene

Her walk changed to a swim in the ocean. As she stepped into the surf again and let the waters surround her on all sides, joy filled her heart. She thought, I almost missed all this beauty.

The Gift You Bring

The greatest gift you can bring to the world is becoming the woman God created you to be. The Holy Spirit breathes spiritual gifts into our lives the moment we become a Christian. As we exhale by following Jesus with all of our heart, the light of his love burns brightly against the backdrop of a dark world. Indeed, we have a great responsibility to cultivate those gifts deep within our soul and share them with many (Ephesians 4:11–12; Romans 12:1–12; Matthew 25:14–28).

But as we live in this passion, we find ourselves pressed (2 Corinthians 4:8–10). We choose to live differently and find rejection.

We step out there and share our pearls only to have others trample on this treasure.

Make no mistake about it—when you live for Jesus, not everyone will accept your light because it threatens their darkness. Serving Jesus means experiencing ridicule and rejection.

Finding yourself in distress after you have cultivated your gifts for God’s glory naturally creates doubt and sometimes depression. Should you quit? Was your calling real?

Expect a Greater Anointing

Treasured one, are you feeling pressed on all sides today? Jesus knows how you feel. Don’t quit to avoid the agony. Instead take a deep breath, arm yourself with Christ’s attitude, and expect a greater anointing (1 Peter 4:1).

Jesus never allowed the future agony of the cross to stop him from advancing to his divine destination because he saw resurrection on the other side.

Never let suffering stop you from serving Jesus. Instead, pray you will see the situation as Jesus did.

Our Savior’s future crucifixion hung heavy in his heart amidst the background of olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked his disciples to pray for him and described his soul this way: “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Mark 14:34 NLT). Have you ever felt that way?

Jesus knows what it feels like to have your soul pressed.

Jesus cried out to the Father.

He fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?” – Mark 14:35–36 MSG

Jesus asked for a way out but ultimately surrendered to God’s will. To be clear, God does not call you to seek suffering, as some mistakenly do to gain their identity from a martyr complex. Nor does he call you to avoid the agony by using unhealthy measures to escape the pain.

God calls you to seek your Savior—and when suffering is a part of your journey to embrace it, knowing you are his child. There is nothing you are facing today that God cannot help you through.

We Will Be Pressed

Often we experience a greater anointing on the other side of our agony. Gethsemane, the oil garden where Jesus prayed before his crucifixion, actually means to press. We will all find ourselves in a “Gethsemane” in our journey.

In the pathway we follow to walk out our passion, we will be pressed.

Much as olives are pressed to create oil, our pressing often ushers in a greater power of the Holy Spirit we will need for our purpose because it pushes us to depend completely on Jesus. Oil is frequently symbolic of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The agony in your Gethsemane is the very avenue to a greater anointing of the Holy Spirit.

We have a responsibility to handle this rite of passage with an attitude that says, I will not compromise on my commitment to Christ. The glory is on the other side. Never let suffering stop you from serving Jesus. See it the way Jesus did, treasured one.

Perfect love moving each step, Jesus never compromised his commitment. He saw beyond the cross to the glory.

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. – Hebrews 12:2–3 NLT

Don’t give up! The enemy of your soul would love you to quit right before you break through to the light. Arm yourself with the same attitude as Christ! Never compromise on your commitment to complete God’s will.

What is your passion? Are you using it serve others . . . or has suffering called you to pull your gift back to the shelf?

See pressing as a part of a process to increase God’s power in your life, and find your motivation to keep moving forward by remembering that Jesus never quit in his love for you.

Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 4:1–12

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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.

You were not meant to stay on the shore. I am calling you out into the deep waters.

Those words dropped into her heart as she continued her beach walk.

As a child she had enjoyed swimming in the ocean. But over time she learned that while those waters were God’s treasure, they also carried threats—and she resolved to stay on the shore.

Riptides, creatures, and other dangers created a normal caution that turned into fear that held her back from God’s blessing. Yet her childhood memories of a carefree heart that found joy splashing in the surf often called her to come back to the sea. She missed the wonder of wrapping herself in those salty, soothing waters of God’s whirlpool.

How Our Hearts Change

Sometimes our carefree hearts turn into overly careful hearts, producing fear that holds us back from living in the fullness God intended.

But when we understand that our Good Shepherd is watching over us, our broken hearts can turn into brave hearts. As we transfer our trust to Jesus—one day at a time, one step at a time—he will show us the way back home.

We were created to love and to be loved. Psychologists say the human need for love is as vital as the need for food or water. But much as the ocean is a treasure that also carries threats, when we step out into the deep ocean of love, our hearts become vulnerable to pain. Indeed, all of us experience this great paradox at times in our lives.

To love is often to suffer.

As a natural part of life, we all experience love and pain intertwining.

• A son leaves for college or marries, and we must let a piece of our heart go.
• A mom who nurtured us for a lifetime now struggles with Alzheimer’s disease.
• A loved one dies unexpectedly.
• Our in-laws do not accept us.
• We go through divorce.
• Infidelity interrupts our marriage.
• We must leave a job, a church, a town, a neighborhood—and this means we also leave people who had been a large part of our lives.
• We come to faith in Christ, and our family or friends forsake us.
• Breast cancer robs us of our best friend.
• A father never had the capacity to love us.

The cost of the treasure of love? It opens our hearts to pain.

When we came to know the Lord, our capacity to love increased as we were now connected to the source of Perfect Love.

God’s agape love can now flow into us and through us to others.

This great love is unlike anything we had experienced or given before our life with Jesus. But while we have this capacity to love unconditionally, the threat of the pain we may experience could pull us back from living, from giving this love to ourselves and others. And sometimes we resolve to settle on the shore of a safe heart.

When these resolutions become inner vows that we live by, we have chosen them instead of our Lord to lead us. We have placed ourselves instead of Christ in the driver’s seat. This ultimately shuts our hearts down, stopping the love and liberty that could flow from pursuing Christ.

But God has another way.

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.
– 1 Peter 3:12 NLT

Trade Your Worry for Worship

The Lord is watching over you, treasured one.

But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.
– 1 Peter 3:14–15 NLT

So trade your worry for worship and make Christ, instead of the inner vows you have created, the Lord of your life.

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
– 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

Let the cross, where love and pain so beautifully intertwined FOR YOU, prove Christ’s great love for you and propel you to trust our Good Shepherd’s voice instead of your inner vows so you can love well. He has your back when your heart breaks. He can guard your heart and give you wisdom in setting loving boundaries. Jesus gives, guards, and guides his sheep.

Set your heart free by seeking Jesus!

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
– 2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT

Instead of shutting down your heart, seek your Good Shepherd and let him lead you back home to the pasture of abundant life.

^“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
– John 10:10–11 NLT

A rich and satisfying life is found not on the shore of a safe heart but in the center of God’s will.

Because the Lord is watching over you, you can trade your worry for worship and make Christ the Lord of your life. Pursue Jesus and let him turn your broken heart into a brave heart that finds freedom to love again.

Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8–22

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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.

Her walk on the beach continued. She slowed her pace to keep a careful eye on the sand for special shells to collect. A moving shell caught her eye and she paused to look closer. Reaching out of its conch house to stretch its legs for a walk, the hermit crab and the shell moved together. The shell provided protection and the crab supplied mobility.

Protection and mobility—both essential elements. The crab and the shell worked together beautifully and displayed a picture of creation’s harmony.

Moving together.

Working together.

Being together.

She thought deeper. This was God’s intention for relationships—to work together in beautiful harmony.

In music, harmony happens when notes stay true to their sound but join together to create a chord.

Different but vital voices working together to achieve a richer sound.

Achieving Biblical Harmony

Biblical harmony happens when we courageously release our authentic voice to the tune of truth and invite others to do the same through agape love.

But humanity makes harmony difficult, doesn’t it?

Under the weight of a broken world, hurting people hurt us, and many times we suffer a wound that leaves us bleeding instead of belonging. We may have experienced such messy relationships that we falsely assume it’s better to walk alone. Or the enemy spins Scripture like our passage this week to distort God’s truth.

Instead of God’s intention for harmony, sadly we might find a forced hierarchy that teaches women to hide their voice or even in extreme cases excuse emotional abuse.

And when this happens, we all lose out because every voice is needed to create the glorious sound God intended. Like the shell and hermit crab or the different notes in a chord, our diversity creates the need for us to link arms with one another. As we stand together to the tune of truth, our lives work together beautifully (Ephesians 4:16).

And as we honor each voice, including our own, with authentic humility, like instruments playing together in God’s orchestra as he conducts us, we will make beautiful music that sings of the glory of God. But if we hide our voice, the sound simply isn’t complete.

So what is the solution? The truth is that this side of heaven we will always live inside fallen humanity.

• We are broken ourselves and we live among broken people.
• We hurt others and others hurt us.

But as we remember and reflect on God’s intention for relationships, we can be encouraged that our wounds are not God’s heart for us . . . nor are we defined by the way others treat us. Then instead of pursuing the cycle of hurt by retaliating, we forgive and forge ahead with wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Above all, we understand that our free will is a precious treasure to guard so we can give our hearts fully to God.

We do not lose our dignity or identity while inside of community.

Allowing God’s Heart for Harmony Inspire You

Treasured One, let God’s heart for harmony inspire you and me to become a part of the solution, riding the tide closer and closer back to God’s intention for relationships by understanding where our responsibility begins and ends.

Jesus does not call us to BE the Savior but to FOLLOW the Savior. This authentic humility means that we realize we cannot fix others, but we CAN follow Jesus.

This deep topic could never be completely unpacked in a devotion, so this conversation will continue during our weekly Treasured Tribe Talk on Facebook LIVE.

What does it mean to follow the example of our Savior but not to be the savior?

How does this authentic humility create the harmony God intended?

Where does our responsibility begin and end?

Like our Facebook Page to join us live or catch the replay later.

With grace let us gain God’s perspective to think differently so we can live differently as God intended and open the gift of WORKING TOGETHER.

 Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13–3:12

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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 We Struggle with Words of Rejection

Her greatest fear was rejection. And when ugly words came from her church family, the hurt was greater because her expectation of them was higher. Ugly words from others were like stones, chipping away at her confidence one syllable at a time. She worked very hard to avoid them, sometimes pleasing others at the cost of her own self-respect.

For reasons she could not articulate, words of rejection carried tremendous power in her life. Too much power. Knowing her weakness, the enemy of her soul often tempted her to replay those messages, creating a rut in her mind. These unwelcomed reruns settled shame a little deeper in her soul, solidifying the lies.

She was frustrated because of the power those words had over her.

As much as she summed every ounce of sheer grit to try to rise above those words, like an unforgiving rip current, they continued to pull her under.

She knew better but she was not free.

And she was bitter.

Her pace quickened along with her frustration as she continued to move forward along the shore with her heels sinking deeper as anger grew.

How could they say those things, God? How could this happen? These were not my enemies—these were trusted friends.

And then she grabbed a stone on the shore. Imagining those people before her, she hurled it into the ocean, wanting others to feel the pain as she did. In desperation she cried out to God, “I am tired of this controlling me!”

The Lord rushed to her side and held her close with his presence.

My grace is more powerful than your grit. Take your efforts to resist what others say, defending yourself and hating them . . . and redirect that energy to press into my presence and walk out your purpose. Release others through forgiveness. You don’t need their acceptance, so release your desire for it. Information is not transformation because what you believe in your heart is stronger than what you know in your head. Revealed truth written on your heart through the Holy Spirit as you spend time in my Word creates change. Receive my words by applying faith to them. My words will become the loudest in your life because what you pay attention to grows.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9 NIV

Yes, treasured one, you are treasured by God. But often the words others say, our self-deprecating thoughts or labels from the world about women, clamor for our attention, drawing our hearts away from our authentic core identity. And if we are externally referenced, meaning we use outside sources to measure our value, the outcome is inevitable: words from others will create shame and hinder our purpose to shine.

How We Measure Ourselves

All of us were born with this resounding question in our hearts: Do I measure up? And to prove our worth, we grab measuring sticks—standards we use to measure ourselves and ultimately to shut out the shame we feel.

It could be religious standards, money standards, our address standards, our family standards. But if our measuring stick is what other people think and say about us, no matter how much we study God’s Word, no matter how much grit we use to remain confident, no matter how hard we try to rise above those words—they will carry unnecessary power in our lives and put us in the prison of bitterness.

I know this because I have been there, and today I still have to be diligent to guard my heart. Here is what I learned: I will live what I believe deep in my soul.

Turning to Jesus to tune in his words and releasing the words of others gives me the freedom to live an authentic faith-filled life.

You CAN change from being externally referenced to becoming internally referenced by relying on the Holy Spirit.

Instead of reacting to words from others in retaliation, retreat to find words of TRUTH for your response—and rise.

• Let Jesus’s words over you be the loudest in your life.
• Pause from the hustle to pray.
• Seek Jesus in the still of the morning and watch the Holy Spirit write his words on your heart in such a way you will forget those false labels God NEVER intended you to wear.

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. – 1 Peter 1:24–25 NIV

Jesus’s words bring freedom from shame and the power to shine as all other words fall at his feet. Trading external referencing for God’s enduring Word brings freedom.

You are who God says you are.

Forgive imperfect people and trust God’s perfect love instead so you can love others with his kind of love. Sincere love for others stems from shedding shame by trading external referencing for God’s enduring Word. Redirect your grit and give it all to pressing into the presence of Jesus.

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. – 1 Peter 2:6 NIV, emphasis mine

Treasured one, be determined today to redirect your grit from throwing stones back in retaliation to retreating and relying solely on the enduring words from our Cornerstone instead. Be a part of God’s solution to shame by receiving and giving his love.

Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22–2:12

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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.

As she walked further on the beach and her eyes found action out in the water again. A boy and his father were cheering together as they reeled in a fish captured by just the right bait. Great news for the father and son, not so much for the fish.

The fish had reacted to his natural instinct and in an instant bound himself to a force he had to follow.

“It’s not the fish’s fault he was caught,” she said to herself. And then her thoughts went deeper…

Like the fish’s instinct that drove it to take the bait and become bound, our subconscious causes us to react out of our past identity instead of our current reality as a child of God.

Reacting to the mindset ingrained from your childhood experience is not your fault. It’s an instinct created from patterns of thinking ingrained when you were young. While it’s not your fault, blaming others will not stop you from taking the bait. Your rescue comes when you remember I have redeemed you to be my child. I have provided another way so you can rise up to challenge those thoughts, take them captive, and think differently, enabling you to live differently and become the woman I created you to be.

The Messages You Receive Become Your Identity

From the time you were born into a family, you marinated in messages from your environment sent through the actions and words of those around you. Sometimes the messages were said directly and other times they were communicated through actions. As the actions of others played out before you, over time these messages created patterns in your thinking.

Some of the messages flowed from good actions: a hug, approval, a spoken word of encouragement.

• They told you, “You are resilient. You are capable. You are valuable.”

Other messages flowed from actions that did not align with your identity in Christ. A disappointing look or word, your parents sometimes handling situations poorly in front of you, passive aggressive comments, silent treatment, or even your boundaries being violated sexually.

• These actions delivered flawed messages: “You are not good enough. You must please others. You are selfish if you say no. You are responsible for making other people happy. Your interests don’t matter”

Over time the YOU ARE messages that others are sending you become your identity, and these flawed messages program you deep within your thinking.

“I am not good enough. I am selfish. I am responsible for making other people happy. My interests don’t matter. I am selfish when I set boundaries.”

You may not articulate these I am statements, but like a drumbeat that sets the pace to a tune, this programming from your past provides a rhythm you move to in life. Your thoughts drive your actions more than you are aware.

It is not your fault that messages you marinated in growing up are having an impact on your life. Our thoughts impact our feelings and drive our actions.

• Of course, you feel insecure.
• Of course, you made those mistakes in life.
• Of course, you never tell people no.
• Of course, you have those self-deprecating thoughts.
• Of course, you sold your soul for a bite of acceptance.

You and I are like the fish reacting to his hunger. Our instincts formed by the messages we marinated in growing up push us to react and take the bait, creating bondage in our life. And make no mistake about it. The enemy of our soul knows your past programming too. He works to provides just the right bait to satisfy your instinct, but that ultimately keeps you bound.

While all this is not your fault, blaming those who sent you those messages will not heal you. Blaming others over and over again keeps you in bondage as you agree with the lies. This does not help you bounce back in a broken world.

But there is a solution, and it surpasses even the greatest of self-help books. God in his great love has given us a way out. You can rise up and challenge those lies by marinating in the truth of your new identity as a child of God.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:18–19 NLT

Discover Your New Identity as a Child of God

Challenging lies by marinating in the truth to take your thoughts captive to a new way of thinking is a lifetime process. It is not easy.

But treasured one, hear this today: You are not bound to your past messages that messed up your life. You can bounce back from your broken thinking by marinating in new messages through the study of God’s Word.

This is the first step: The more you marinate in God’s message through spending time in his Word, the more you will be able to recognize what messages from others are lies that do not line up with the truth about who you are as God’s child.

Renewing your mind to your authentic core identity in Christ is a lifetime process. We believe it’s so vital, we have incorporated it into the Nourish Bible Study Method. 

Don’t stop there: It’s not enough to recognize the lies – you must rise up and take action steps to challenge them. You must also build your self-control muscle.

In my Facebook Live message this week, I am going to show you the action steps I use to build self-control and challenge my thoughts so I can walk in truth and live in victory by responding to my identity as God’s child rather than reacting out of my past. Join us live or catch the replay later.

Nourish Scripture: 1Peter 1:14-1:21

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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.

The waves roared, carrying the energy of the wind and currents before eventually folding upon the sand. The surf ran swiftly to the end of its journey to say a quick hello where she stood at the edge of the shore. Circling around her toes and then her ankles, the wave kissed her feet before making its retreat, leaving her feet encircled by sea foam. Washing away the sand beneath her feet, the wave eroded a small part of her foundation, and she sank deeper into the sand.

Before she had time to lift her feet, another wave was on its way to repeat the process. And then another came. Each time, she sank ever so slightly deeper.

She began to think about her past and how waves caused by the currents and winds of a broken world similarly eroded her spiritual foundation, little by little. She had no control over the waves that kept coming and crashing on the shore.

As waves are a part of the turmoil wind creates in the ocean, pain is a part of life inside a broken world.

And it comes in waves.

• Waves of rejection.
• Waves of loss of loved ones.
• Waves of hurtful circumstances.
• Waves of the past.

As each wave came, a little part of her foundation slipped away.

She was tired of standing on sand. She was tired of trying to control the waves.

Tears fell from her eyes and sat on her cheeks. Her wind-swept hair found a resting place when the strands stuck to her tears. As she lifted her hand to clear away the hair obstructing her view, her eye caught a group of boys surfing.

She paused and pondered how they were using the waves to their advantage. They rode the waves. The energy of the wind and currents carried them. If they fell, they got up again, rushing right back into the water. Their laughter rose above the ever-present hum of the waves. They did not stand on sand . . . they stood on their surfboards. Instead of fearing the waves, they used the waves to move forward.

Using the Waves to Move Forward

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

In that moment, she felt the Lord’s presence standing right beside her.

The Holy Spirit whispered to her heart, “Let me teach you how to ride the waves of a broken world to bring you joy and show others my glory. I am greater than any wave you face. As you stand on the foundation of my presence instead of the shifting sand of circumstances, your survival mechanisms, and your emotions, the waves will not break you—they will build you. Live with great expectation by looking up.”

Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 1 Peter 1:3–4 NLT

Riding the Waves with the Holy Spirit

In eternity the waves of a broken world will not exist. In fact, the Bible tells us that seas, along with our tears, will cease (Revelation 21:1)! But for today she could face the waves, knowing that the Holy Spirit was there.

She was never alone. She was God’s child.

Nothing could ever take that truth away from her.

The power of the Holy Spirit was greater than the power that existed behind the waves. She was getting ready to discover how to ride those waves—and the first step was to live by looking up. She looked up, and as expectation filled her heart with joy, she lifted her feet from the sand.

Live with great expectation by looking up to eternity. The very best is yet to come.

She lifted her head and her heart filled with joy. Greater days were ahead. It was time to bounce back from the broken world and see hard times as a force to carry her closer to Jesus.

Like a holy thread connecting her to heaven, the Holy Spirit pierced through the darkness and offered a foundation to live through the storms of life—not merely to survive but to soar.

Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1–13

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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.