Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

Identity

What Is the Heart of God?

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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.

How Does God Heal a Broken Heart?

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

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

How Our Hearts Break

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

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

  • Insecure
  • Worried 
  • Fearful

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

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

Good News—God Heals a Broken Heart!

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

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

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

Here’s How God Heals a Broken Heart

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leaving Labels

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We live in a world made up of labels. We love them when they make everything feel tidy and organized. Labels are everywhere telling us what to expect and are indeed helpful in identifying things. But I am not talking about the labels that are on our cans of green beans or the labels that we put on our notebooks.

I am talking about the labels that other people might put on us.

It could be a nickname we were bullied with, or could be from something else in our past. Often these labels are lies that the enemy is feeding us. It changes the way that we live because of patterns that we have kept for a long time. Those are just some examples of where labels like I will always be this, or I will always be that come from.

They seem to stick, and we appear to let them because sometimes even we start to believe them. And with that comes the danger of losing who we are in Christ and the identity, or label, that he has given to us.

The truth about who you are can be found as you listen to and are led by
the Holy Spirit and wear the beautiful labels that he has for you.  

Living out Our Authentic Identity

When you and I live out of our authentic identity, we have confidence and direction to become all God created us to be. And when we know the truth about who God says we are it becomes harder and harder for the labels of the enemy to stick to us.

In Ephesians 2:11-3:6 we see Paul talking to the Gentile Christians. He is describing to them the unity that they have in Christ. He is explaining to them the gift of the Body of Christ, and that they are one in Christ. They are not outsiders anymore. We are brought into a family and called to unity as a result of that.

Ephesians 2:14-15 speaks of broken down walls and peace.

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”

Even within the Body labels were being used as weapons amongst believers. But Jesus came to break walls down not build them up.

So if labels are inevitable, what do we do when they are thrown at us?  

Remember RIC to help you leave your labels:

REMEMBER:
Remember that you cannot control what other people think or say about you. You cannot control if other people are operating under a legalistic mindset. You can’t control that, but you can control you.

IMAGINE:
Imagine labels like a ball somebody throws to you. If someone tosses a label on you, if they make a judgment about you, visualize it as a ball and catch it in your hand. Then examine that label and say “Does this label line up with the truth of who God says I am?” The way you handle labels when you are met with one makes all the difference. Does what someone is saying line up with what God says about you? No? Then it has no place in your life.

CHOOSE:
Choose your own labels and find liberty in them! The thing is, we really don’t have control of what other people say about us. We don’t. We do have control over which labels we are going to allow to define us. There is power in claiming our identity in Christ.

You and I want to live out of the labels that we receive from Christ. The key to doing that is choosing your own labels. In doing this, you walk under God’s power instead of giving power to the labels others place on you.

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-3:6

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 Power of Pausing

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Live on purpose by pausing from life’s pressures to plug into the limitless power that flows from the presence of Jesus.

She Was a Warrior

She was a warrior. In fact, she had been fighting all her life. Fighting to prove herself. Fighting to keep everyone happy with her by always saying yes. Fighting to keep the peace by compliance. Fighting to survive. And slowly over time . . . she lost her identity as she changed who she was to please those who surrounded her.

She gave up her power by surrendering to people instead of her Savior. 

But God loved her and would not leave her this way. She was a treasure. He had chosen her. It gave him great joy to adopt her as his child. He never intended her to be a victim of her circumstances or other people. She was his daughter. He intended her to live for His glory and love others by walking in the strength that only he could provide.

But she had to be taught a new way to think and live. She had to learn that her power was not outside her in the form of other people.

The power was within her through the Holy Spirit.

This was important. Whatever we see as our source of power also controls us. If she recognized him as her source, she would be free to live for him. 

She Had Godly Girl Power

Godly girl power was a part of her inheritance. Like a holy thread connecting her to heaven, the presence and power of Jesus within her was a confident hope she could hold onto in this broken world—hope that a great and glorious inheritance was yet to come (Ephesians 1:14). 

Yet while she lived in this broken world, she would need God’s all-surpassing power to walk in her purpose. This power was the same power he had used to defeat sin and death by raising Christ on the third day (Ephesians 1:19-20). This power was nothing she earned. He freely gave it through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). 

Having this power and using this power were two different issues altogether. Even though she was his daughter, she was used to thinking like an orphan.  She was used to depending on herself and other people. While she had godly girl power within her, the old ways she had used to find strength when she was far away from God had become familiar ruts in her thinking and gave way to comfortable bad habits. 

Her journey to change her source of power would begin with her mind.  He was calling her to live differently by retreating and renewing her mind instead of trying to change her behavior.

Renew Your Mind by Pausing Each Day

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.

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.

The world is a battlefield where brave hearts make a difference. Come away in his quiver, brave heart. The sole purpose of the Treasured Devotions is to inspire you to connect with God through his Word so you may live aimed and active in your God-given purpose.

Renewing our minds is a lifetime process that brings transformation because our faith and action always walk hand in hand.

Paul began his letter to the Ephesians by reminding those believers of key beliefs about God and their inheritance in Christ. Ten years earlier when Paul had founded and discipled this church for two years, I am certain he taught these same fundamental truths. Paul started with belief, not behavior. I believe Paul knew this truth: renewing our minds is never a one and done deal. Paul started with belief …

What do you start with, braveheart?

Nourish Scripture: Ephesians 1

Take the next steps by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to learn how to connect with God’s Word in a way that transforms your life and helps you become the woman you’re meant to be. 

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.

Amazing Grace

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Her life story sang the sweet sounds of amazing grace and created a symphony that drew others to God’s precious gift of salvation through Christ.  Much like an artist carefully and creatively plans each note to create a melody, God orchestrated her steps as she learned to walk by faith in His Words. Instead of creating a melody, these steps created moments linked together for a purpose greater than herself. 

The love of Jesus grabbed her attention . . . but it was God’s words that captured her heart. Every syllable was sacred. His words were living and active. They became reality. They shaped her identity. They changed her life and would, in turn, change the lives of others.

She found her authentic God-given voice by turning her heart towards his so she could listen to and be led by His Words.

Your Purpose Brings Value

What is your God-given purpose? When you seek God’s plan by approaching him through the Bible—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.

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

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

Discover the Sweet Sound of Amazing Grace

God is waiting to lead and guide you into life-changing truth. As you respond to the Word and walk out God’s will for your life in faith, you will receive nourishment that will flow to others as you become more and more the woman God created you to be. Find your voice by turning your heart toward his and creating music defined by steps of faith.

Your authentic God–given identity is needed and necessary. 

Make music one moment at a time. One step of faith at a time. One day at a time. ONWARD!

Nourish Scripture: John 8:1-20

Deepen your connection to God’s Word by downloading Nourishing Your Heart today!

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 Crown

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The weight of the historic golden crown ordained with jewels settled on her head but seemed to reach into her soul. At age twenty-five, Elizabeth of Windsor would never be the same. The crown not only rested on her head but also embraced the core of her being. The princess became a queen. With this new identity, the crown would not only grace her head but would also guide her every step . . . and her destiny.

The Weight of the Crown

And as I watched the series The Crown on Netflix, I was fascinated with how the crown impacted Elizabeth’s life and decisions—it carried greater weight than even her family. One scene caught my attention in particular. After her father’s early death, as Elizabeth faced the magnitude of becoming queen at age twenty-five, her grandmother wrote these words of wisdom to her:

While you mourn your father, you must also mourn someone else. Elizabeth Mountbatten. For she has now been replaced by another person. Elizabeth Regina (Regina is Latin for queen). The two Elizabeth’s will frequently be in conflict with each other. The fact is the crown must win. Must always win. (Episode 2, Season 1, The Crown, Netflix)

Let that statement just settle in your heart a bit. The crown must win. Your new identity as queen must win. Embracing who you are over who you were must lead the way.

Elizabeth would need to intentionally embrace this new reality and let the crown reign through her choices. Reign over her desires. Reign over her feelings. Reign over her inadequacies. Reign over her past and future. Reign over her purpose. She no longer lived for herself. The crown—her new identity—reigned in her heart.

How the Crown Relates to Our Identity

This is the very essence involved in embracing our authentic core identity, a process that is at the heart of the Christian life.

You see, brave heart, the death of Jesus Christ allows him to reign in you. When you accepted his offer of salvation, you became a queen crowned with far greater treasure than Elizabeth’s earthly crown. You are crowned with Jesus’ righteousness for a purpose beyond yourself.

But 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)

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. (Romans 8:17 NLT)

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

For Christ to reign in our life, his crown must reign in the core of our being. This is not selfishness or pride. This is embracing the reality of who we are in Christ.

For years, I struggled with my identity, a struggle that gave way to some unhealthy choices. Things began to improve when I understood more about authentic core identity. You too can make this shift by allowing the crown to win in your thoughts and faith and in the core of who you are.

The Battle between Our Identities

Much as the two Elizabeths would wrestle, our old and new identities battle in our heart. But Jesus fights for our heart and the battle is won as we surrender to the crown that is rightfully ours by embracing the words he writes on our heart through faith.

This is why we incorporate authentic core identity into the Respond step of the Nourish Bible Study Method.

Embracing Our Authentic Core Identity

So, what do I mean by embracing authentic core identity?

Embracing authentic core identity is agreeing in your heart by faith with God’s blueprint for your life and how he sees you.

Only by seeking your Creator can you uncover your true identity. Finding your core identity is not about frantically striving to be someone, but surrendering to God by allowing his Word to define the purpose for which you were created.

This is a precious treasure to guard by faith against outside influences…

  • What others say
  • Your circumstances
  • Your actions
  • Your past
  • Your feelings
  • How others treat you
  • Worldly standards

…so you can truly give to others by embracing all God has created you to be.

Part of your authentic core identity is who you are as God’s child with your life hidden in Christ. It is also the specific purpose your heavenly Father designed for you before you were born to bring him glory (Ephesians 2:10). Embracing the unique way he has made you and the spiritual gifts he has given you to support your purpose is also a part of embracing your authentic God-given identity (Romans 12:1–8; Psalm 139:13–14).

Authentic core identity is a deep topic and one I will discuss in greater detail in our podcast and video teaching message this week. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to listen and our YouTube channel to watch.

And today, may you remember the treasure you are. Whatever happens, brave heart—hold your head high. Carry the crown in the core of your being as you embrace your identity in Christ.

ONWARD!

Nourish Scripture: Romans 8:1-17 

Take the next step by downloading Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with God’s Word in a way that transforms your life. 

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.

Holy Ground

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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 word’s 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.

Standing on Holy Ground

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.

God’s Words Are Holy

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.

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

Take the next step and download Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with God’s Word.

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.