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Faith

Got Sword?

May 4, 2020 by Aliene

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

Filed Under: Codependency, Treasured Devotions Tagged With: armor of God, Battle, Faith, Godly Girl Power, Scripture

Legacy

April 27, 2020 by Aliene

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

Filed Under: Codependency, Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Faith, family, Godly Girl Power, Love, Surrender

The Power of Prayer

March 23, 2020 by Aliene

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (Ephesians 3:20–21 NIV, my emphasis)

Immeasurably more. Her eyes ran over those words and then lingered for a while. Immeasurably more. God can do immeasurably more than she could ever ask or imagine, according to HIS POWER.

She pondered on her faded prayers that had once been filled with so much passion.

A season of storms sabotaged her prayer life, making it small. Like the force of hurricane winds loosening the roots of a tall tree, the storms of life shook her faith to the core. The enemy lied to her heart about the storms and told her that God was not powerful . . . and her prayers faded. She felt afraid. She thought about her past year and the loss she had experienced. The loss in her life combined with her fragile faith made her feel powerless. Her insecurity swallowed her confidence. In response, her soul grasped for security by clinging too tightly to the people in her life, and she began to walk under the false illusion of control.

This led to more insecurity and fear because when she tried to control her circumstances, her circumstances began to control her. Worry, fear, and anger surfaced as she tried to control what ultimately, she could not.

And she was weary.

The Lord looked at his treasured one with love. No storm could ever separate them. He nourished her heart with truth and reminded her of the power of prayer. With tears in her eyes, she sank to the floor and let her prayers flow. People were there for her to love, but they could never give the security and life she was looking for.

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.

Sometimes we can “self-sabotage” our prayer life because we pray based on what we think we deserve instead of WHO GOD IS.  The enemy can use a storm, or our past, or even our religious traditions to keep our prayers small. Don’t let the enemy fool you, wise woman. Pray prayers based on WHO GOD IS and remain faithful regardless of the outcome. Don’t filter your prayers through what you think you deserve—let your prayers flow like a mighty river and let God filter the results through his pure and perfect will to bring glory to his name.

Hey, treasured one, revitalize your prayer life this week by recapturing the awe of your God.

The God you serve is an “immeasurably more” God. Yahweh is the source of your strength. 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). He is Lord over all. “For from him and through him and for him are all things.” (Romans 11:36)

Great expectations in our mighty God through prayer gives us the freedom to let go of trying to extract from people what only God can give us. When our expectations rest in the Lord, we can let go of others to truly love them.

Much as a watering can must be filled before it can pour water out and bring nourishment to plants, we must first be filled with his love to give love out. And as the watering can pours out to others, a greater capacity is created to receive even more. When we are trying to extract from people what only God can give us—it is as if we are watering cans going to other watering cans trying to find water.

Think of bold prayer as positioning yourself to fill your watering can to nourish your heart so you can nurture others. To have some understanding of God’s love, we must experience it. To experience it, we must receive it. Each time we experience his power in answered prayer pushes the roots of our soul deeper into his love and makes us strong as we trust in Him. Only when Christ becomes seated at the center of our heart through the humility of prayer and our roots are deep in his love can we truly love others with his love. And that is godly girl power (Ephesians 3:14–21).

Prayer will grow your roots deep in God’s love because you are placing your trust in him. When your roots are deep in God’s love, you will bear the fruit of his love to others.

You have only one life. Pray with great expectation. Live a life worthy of your calling by receiving his love and giving it to others. Fall on your knees in prayer and trust the one who can bless you beyond measure so you can be a blessing to others.

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 3:14–4:6

Filed Under: Codependency, Prayer, Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Faith, Fear, Godly Girl Power, Nourishment, prayer

United

March 16, 2020 by Aliene

Great and gracious Father, my breath is taken away at your generosity in my life. 

You ask for my faith in Christ and trust in you, and in exchange you give me access to every promise given to Abraham. By faith, I share in the rich nourishment that flows from the abundant inheritance of God’s family. 

I renounce every lie from the enemy that I have received that produces a scarcity mentality. I instead choose to believe this truth: I have been entrusted with abundance beyond what this world can give me. 

To activate that abundance, I must act because faith and actions always walk hand and hand. 

Today I receive your abundance so that tomorrow I will have the capacity to give to others with the same abundance you have given me. 

Give me wisdom to discern true strength. Let me not fall for a flattering tongue or falsely assume that people who persuade others or have a title necessarily carry your power. 

Let me be wise choosing those I walk with today, because the people I spend time with influence me. Let me stand with those who stand with you, even if that means I need to be different or face rejection. Let me find contentment in your acceptance alone. 

I confess that charisma and charm have deceived me before and created unhealthy connections in my life. I saw people, instead of you, as the source of my strength. My desire to fit in eclipsed my desire to follow you. 

Today, give me wisdom to choose to stand with the strength that only you can provide. Abba Father, I want to align my life with you because your power produces love, and love is the most powerful force in the world. I am answering your call to be strong in the Lord and in YOUR mighty power. Amen. 

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-Ephesians 3:13

Filed Under: Codependency, Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Faith, Love, prayer, Trust, Unity

How to Plug into God’s Power

March 2, 2020 by Aliene

Are you frustrated with a sin habit you feel powerless over? It’s not your lack of effort, Treasured One, you must first shift your effort in a new direction. 

Paul began his letter to the Ephesians by reminding those believers of key beliefs about God and their inheritance in Christ Ten years prior to this letter when Paul had founded the church at Ephesus and discipled this church, I am certain he taught these same fundamental truths. I believe Paul knew this truth: renewing our minds is never a one and done deal, and so he went back to those core beliefs. Another beautiful insight is this: Paul addressed belief first, not behavior. This is where we must begin our efforts, Paul started with belief…What do you start with, Treasured One?

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 to renew our minds.

Having access to God’s power and using this all-surpassing power are two different issues altogether. Our journey to change our source of power, begins with our mind.  While we have godly girl power within us through the Holy Spirit, the old ways we used to find strength when we were far away from God are familiar ruts in our thinking. 

To live differently, place your efforts first in renewing your mind. Renewing our minds is a lifetime process that brings transformation because our faith and action always walk hand in hand. 

Retreat daily to renew your mind through the Word and find the power you need to walk out your purpose.

An expert archer keeps his arrows in his quiver, close to him, so he can sharpen and polish them, releasing them again and again with power, purpose, and precision. Like the expert archer, God is calling his daughters to retreat into his presence to prepare and position their heart to be released for his glory.  

Wherever you are in your walk with God, you are never too far along to retreat inside God’s quiver and share sacred times close to him. It is in his quiver, concealed and sharpened, that we plug into godly girl power and our hearts are released to live for his glory.

Come away in his quiver, brave heart. Live on purpose by pausing from life’s pressures to plug into the limitless power that flows from the presence of Jesus.

Weekly Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

Filed Under: Codependency, Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Faith, Godly Girl Power, Renew, Strength, Truth

What Is the Heart of God?

February 15, 2020 by Aliene

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.

Filed Under: Bible Study Tagged With: Faith, God's Word, Identity, prayer

She Believed HE Could… So She Did

May 7, 2018 by Aliene

Ready to JUMP?!

Today, we close our series Brave Heart with a benediction to inspire you to follow God with your whole heart and become the woman God created you to be!

Hey, brave heart, I love that you will jump into the unfamiliar. I love that you are bold. I love that you dare to do what I am asking you to do. I love your passion to pioneer (Isaiah 42:16).

 So be free to become the beautiful you I have created (Ephesians 2:10).

Find Freedom to Walk in Your Identity

Let go of what others say and find the freedom to walk in your authentic identity in Christ (Galatians 1:10). Let go of every other hand you are holding so you can grab tightly onto mine (Proverbs 29:25).

I am looking for someone whose heart is fully committed to me and not afraid to walk differently by following me completely. Walking outside the world-defined box takes you beyond what is temporary into living for eternal treasures (2 Corinthians 4:14–18).

 My presence and my purpose for you do not promise the absence of adversity; rather, they provide the assurance that you will never face adversity alone (Hebrews 13:5). With me, you have a love that will never let you go (Romans 8:38–39).

You see, I need someone to be first (Isaiah 42:16). Yes, I am looking for the pioneering spirit inside you that says, I will not settle for what has always been.

I want to uncover what can be.

I need you to be the first in your family to walk a different way (1 Peter 1:18–19). I see the generations beyond you who can be blessed. Indeed, my child, I have created you for this time appointed under heaven to leave blessings in your wake as you live for me.

When I formed the world, I did not rest until I’d made a woman, because she was needed to complete my plan. Today I still work to release the God-given potential within women, because they are an important part in a great story written for my glory.

So don’t be afraid to jump out of the boat. I created you to be brave! You’ll leave ripples of eternal blessings when you walk in courage, trusting in me. Fear is something you learned. Love is what you are wired for, and you’ll walk in love when you follow me because I am love.

My dear daughter, if I am for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31). My perfect love can cast that fear right out of you (1 John 4:18). Nothing can separate you from my love—and my love is enough.

Walk in Security

So walk in that security. If worry walks through the front door, push it back out by casting all your cares on me and trusting me with your whole heart (1 Peter 5:7). And if waves of adversity steal your focus, get your eyes right back on me (Matthew 14:30; Hebrews 12:1–2). Find a promise in my Word and cling to it with all your might (Mark 4:20).

Yes, brave heart, flex your faith muscle. Walk differently by living fully for Christ. You are bold, beautiful, and brave.


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.

Filed Under: Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Book of Joshua, Brave Heart, Faith

Your Choice

April 30, 2018 by Aliene

In Joshua’s old age, he gathered the Israelites together to say his goodbyes. Knowing his life was coming to a close, Joshua shared from his heart about the promises and faithfulness of God in order to inspire the children of Israel to guard their hearts and give them to God:

So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14–15)

Our Challenge Today Lies in Our Choices

Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites is our challenge today.

To find abundant life we must give total commitment to the giver of abundant life. God will never make us choose him because real love always gives free will. God’s authentic love invites you to choose. Our choices will empower one way or another. Your free will is a precious treasure to guard so you can give it fully to God.

However, as Joshua warned the Israelites, choosing God is not always easy in a culture that contradicts God’s truth. Often attachments to the past or fear over the future govern our choices to cling to the world instead of surrendering to God.

A woman’s heart is the center of this battle.

The enemy seeks to take our heart captive to destructive sources that prevent us from becoming the person God designed us to be. 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 by convincing us we are not valuable; that we do not matter—and that we cannot trust—God.

But remember this: Jesus laid his life down to fight for our heart, releasing us to live fearlessly for his glory as we look to him as our sole source for life. When our thoughts change, our choices will change. The battle is won through the eyes of faith as you renew your mind to God’s love for you and choose to follow God.

A Brave Heart Walks by Faith

A brave heart walks by faith in God and his Word and not necessarily by what she sees. Oh, she still feels afraid when adversity arrives, but understands that the source of her courage and strength comes from looking at life through the lens of who God is and believing the voice of truth over the enemies’ lies taunting her to fear.

Her heart is determined to believe God. In doing so, she invites others to do the same.

Brave hearts believe God, experience the Promised Land, and lead others to do the same. Only by encountering Jesus and embracing his words through faith will we find true freedom. Open your heart to God’s Word, allow Jesus to capture your heart and become the woman God created you to be.

 Nourish Scripture: Joshua 22–24


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.

Filed Under: Treasured Devotions Tagged With: Book of Joshua, Brave Heart, Faith, Joshua 23, Joshua 24

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