Category: Tetelestai Recovery

Tetelestai Recovery

What Tetelestai Really Means: Beyond “It Is Finished”

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We noticed that Jesus’ final word tetelestai, translated into the English phrase, it is finished, seemed to imply a sense of giving up. We found this to be an unfortunate language barrier. As it turns out, in the original Greek language of the New Testament, this word tetelestai is a declaration of victory, completion, and success.

Tetelestai is the comment an artist might whisper after completing his final brush stroke on a masterpiece.

Tetelestai is the report a soldier would bring to his commanding officer when a battle was over, and victory had been secured.

We believe our Savior used His final breath on the cross to declare for all time, to all creation, in every dimension, that there is nothing left undone: It is finished; Tetelestai.

There is no more drudgery to sobriety and no more anguish to recovery. There is no self-effort which must be added to what has been declared, Tetelestai.

IT IS FINISHED

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Tetelestai Recovery

Overcoming Substance Addiction: The Gift of Tetelestai

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In matters of our recovery from substance addiction and the mental dysfunction that accompanies it, we were completely helpless. We had no thoughts that could heal our thoughts. We had no disclosure that could remove our secret shame. We had no detour that would lead us out of the darkness. We were lost. We were alone. We were afraid.

But suddenly, in a random, unexplainable moment, the gift of Tetelestai was revealed. We had run out of options, yet in that barren wasteland of emptiness, we stumbled upon a treasure trove of truth.

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Tetelestai Recovery

The Insanity of Addiction: A Journey to Mental Freedom

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There is an overpowering conflict that occurs within the mind of anyone who has encountered the desperation of addiction. The struggle to escape one’s own mind by flooding it with toxic levels of mood-altering chemicals is the true definition of insanity. Yet many of us suffered from this fatal and debilitating disease, consenting to the madness as if there were no other option.

In search of total recovery, we discovered we were not only seeking to be delivered from our dependency on mind or mood-altering substances, but we also searched for freedom from our thought processes, our twisted perceptions, and our obsessive fears.

In this emotional state of chronic crisis, we were exhausted.

We struggled to be free from a mind that plotted its own demise. Our thoughts quite literally tormented us to the point of insanity. We needed a way to manage our feelings and silence our sickness…

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Tetelestai Recovery

Breaking Free: Addressing Addictions Beyond Drugs

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We concluded that all humans suffer from at least one type of addiction. However, we also know that every addiction can be called out and destroyed, using the pronouncement of Jesus, “Tetelestai” (It is finished).

Last Word Recovery Ministries developed the Tetelestai Recovery program that is based on the power of Jesus declaration which offers the possibility of permanent freedom for anyone struggling with addiction.

 As the ripple effect of this program began to reach the families and friends of those who were enjoying permanent sobriety, we received requests for an expanded version of the program which could address other destructive addictions and dysfunctions beyond the scope of drug or alcohol dependence. We were intrigued by this idea and excited to pursue it. 

In this third volume, Tetelestai Recovery – Leveling Up, we address some non-drug addictions, along with other dysfunctional behaviors related to the human condition. We offer Sacred Text selections that can break these strongholds and prevent further harm.

Tetelestai Recovery is not just for addicts. It is for everyone. Jesus says, “It is finished!” to the behaviors and dysfunctions that weigh us down and hold us back.

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Tetelestai Recovery

How to Let Go of Resentment and Gain Personal Power

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To remain in a position of power, we had to drop the resentments. While we sometimes felt as if our resentments were keeping us safe and preventing us from being hurt again, we eventually faced the fact that they were stealing our power and placing us in a perpetual state of victimhood. Resentment was the result of self-pity. If we carried our resentment, we were forced to experience the painful events over and over. But, on the other hand, we feared that if we released our resentments, it would give those offenders a free pass.

Neither position seemed to be working, so we searched for a new solution. We needed to release our resentments, but at the same time, we needed to know that justice had been served. We needed to know that those who had mistreated us didn’t get away with it. We wanted to settle the score, but we also wanted to exist in the higher spiritual plane, that Jesus referred to as the Kingdom of God. We knew that revenge-seeking would drag us down and pull us into chaos.

Sacred Text showed us the way. Since the same words appeared in both old and new testaments, we knew it was significant.

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. Deuteronomy 32:35
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:17-19

Surprisingly, based on these passages, we learned that revenge was not necessarily a bad thing. It only became a bad thing when we humans took it into our own hands, rather than leaving it for God to manage.

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Tetelestai Recovery

The Struggle with Forgiveness: Finding Peace

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In our new normal, it seemed that forgiveness was an issue we struggled with at every turn. Failure to forgive made us feel guilty. Trying to forgive made us feel irritated. Convincing ourselves that we had already forgiven, when we knew we hadn’t, made us feel like phonies. It all just seemed too much. When someone did us wrong, and we incurred a loss of self-worth, inner peace, reputation, or security, did God really expect us to forgive the offense and just get over it?

Was it His intent that we sustain our losses and silently endure offenses to our own demise? We didn’t think that sounded like the reasonable expectation of a loving, protective Father! We thought there must be more to this concept of forgiveness than just suffering in silence and becoming a speed bump to anyone who ran over the top of us.

Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. Deuteronomy 32:35

We examined this Sacred Text carefully and realized it contains two separate promises.

The first part was a promise that God would be bringing justice to the offender. The second part of the statement confirmed that God would repay us for the damage we sustained.

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Tetelestai Recovery

How to Let Go of Resentment and Gain Personal Power

lastwordrecovery

To remain in a position of power, we had to drop the resentments. While we sometimes felt as if our resentments were keeping us safe and preventing us from being hurt again, we eventually faced the fact that they were stealing our power and placing us in a perpetual state of victimhood. Resentment was the result of self-pity. If we carried our resentment, we were forced to experience the painful events over and over. But, on the other hand, we feared that if we released our resentments, it would give those offenders a free pass.

Neither position seemed to be working, so we searched for a new solution. We needed to release our resentments, but at the same time, we needed to know that justice had been served. We needed to know that those who had mistreated us didn’t get away with it. We wanted to settle the score, but we also wanted to exist in the higher spiritual plane, that Jesus referred to as the Kingdom of God. We knew that revenge-seeking would drag us down and pull us into chaos.

Sacred Text showed us the way. Since the same words appeared in both old and new testaments, we knew it was significant.

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. Deuteronomy 32:35
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:17-19

Surprisingly, based on these passages, we learned that revenge was not necessarily a bad thing. It only became a bad thing when we humans took it into our own hands, rather than leaving it for God to manage.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Walk with Confidence

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Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Proverbs 4:25-26

Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  Hebrews 12:13

Both verses spoke of walking level paths which offer firm footing and stability. There was no demand to scale mountain ledges, hike over rocky terrains, lose ground on shifting sand dunes, or trudge through marshy swampland. We were not told to look down, closely examining each next step with caution because the journey was so treacherous. We were simply instructed to seek out level paths and keep our focus upward.

In other words, we had to stop making it harder than it needed to be. We were simply to ask God for direction and trust that He would deliver us to exactly the right place at exactly the right time. We simply needed to keep walking. One foot in front of the other. Forward motion. No fear. One step at a time. No looking down and no looking back.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Recognizing God’s Voice in Everyday Life

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Knowing that God speaks to His children in all sorts of unique ways, we suddenly recognized His voice speaking to us from the creativity of writers and actors on a movie screen. We identified with the heroes. We saw ourselves playing the role assigned to us by the God of the Galaxies. We became aware in a way unlike ever before that we were on a mission that would influence millions, change the course of history, and generate spiritual wavelengths to echo into caverns of the future.

We looked back over our life and realized that our destiny had been there all along and every step of the journey was preparation for the main event.

But still we questioned whether we could actually fulfill our mission. We knew our impulsive nature had caused us to make some terribly bad choices in the past, so we wondered if it was God’s call or just a delusion of grandeur. The thought of God calling us to something of eternal magnitude seemed a little ridiculous and really, really crazy.

We had to question whether our passionate reaction to the prospect of hearing this divine call was our love for Him or our own search for significance?

Maybe it was both. And maybe that was okay.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Stepping Out in Faith: Leaving Your Comfort Zone

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It only takes a little faith for us to get out of the boat and trust Jesus to keep us afloat.

Sure, we want to stay in the safety of the boat where everything is familiar. We also want to experience smooth sailing with no waves or winds.

However, there is a little seed of faith inside that tells us there is so much more to life what we have known. We are certain that we have a destiny to fulfill. We know it starts with a single step; out of the comfort zone and into the unknown.

We take a deep breath, whisper, “It is finished!” to our fear of change and take that first shaky step toward the sound of His voice.

  • Think about a time when fear has kept you from getting out of the boat: (making a life-altering decision; going back to school; starting a new job; taking a risk, moving forward, etc.)
    • Think about a time when you have taken a risk to move forward despite the presence of natural fear? How has that experience empowered you?
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