Category: Tetelestai Recovery

Tetelestai Recovery

Understanding Tests: Cultivating Patience

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My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  James 1:2-4

When caught up in a moment of testing, we must resist letting our feelings and circumstances serve as a litmus test for our faith. It is not healthy, nor is it accurate.

Tests are for the express purpose of developing patience. Whether the tests come from internal or external forces, they have a purpose. Some of the tests we face are due to our own weaknesses and might easily become our demise, but even then, God always has a better plan. Any test that activates patience is beneficial. Guilt and blame serve no purpose.

Patience tells us that tests are only temporary. Patience tells us that God is doing a good work in us, and He will complete it. Patience tells us not to judge our walk by one random stumble. Patience keeps us steady as we wait for the storm to pass.

It is patience that we lack when we throw up our hands and give up. It is patience that we lack when we question our progress. It is patience that will get us to the finish line. It is patience that will help us be gentle with ourselves.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Discovering the Power of ‘It is Finished’ in Your Life

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Whether your it is a little problem or a big one, the proclamation of Jesus, “It is finished!” gives you the power you need to move out of this prison and into the open space of grace.

Like a blank check, Jesus gave us, “It is finished!” His words have the power to put an end to anything that is an obstacle to your best self. 

When He said, “It is finished!” He knew it would be specific and unique to every person on the planet. To identify your own, it that may be causing issues, try asking yourself these questions:

  • What consumes your thoughts and energy?
  • What worry keeps you up at night?
  • What behavior makes you feel powerless?
  • What thought paralyzes you with fear?
  • What things about yourself make you cringe?
  • What secret struggle do you keep hidden?
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Tetelestai Recovery

Sometimes Anger is Appropriate

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We felt certain that we could justify anger when it came to certain evils in the world. When we checked the Sacred Text, we found proof that anger can sometimes be appropriate; perhaps even righteous.

Jesus went into the Temple. He threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables that belonged to the men who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he upset the benches of those who were selling doves.
Jesus said to all the people there, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be a house where people will pray.’ But you are changing God’s house into a ‘den of thieves.’  
Matthew 21:12-17

So, after reviewing some of Jesus’ moments of fury, we concluded that there may, in fact, be times when anger would be an entirely appropriate reaction.

His reaction was more than simply a display of righteous indignation. It was a display of self-restraint. The Son of God, with an army of angels at His disposal, simply flipped over a few tables and ran people out of the temple. He could have whistled for an asteroid to hit the coordinates where they stood. He could have summoned a flesh-eating bacterium to consume them or an earthquake that would bury them beneath tons of rubble. He could have destroyed them in a million different ways, but he chose rather to use words, with a controlled show of force for emphasis.

We came to understand that when Jesus was angry, His methods were measured and restrained.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Finding New Life After Addiction: A Faith-Based Journey

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As we called an end to our addiction, using Christ’s words, “It is finished,” our recovery took root and began to grow into a new life filled with promise. We began to detect subtle changes in our thoughts and behaviors, but they often fluctuated so rapidly, we sometimes wondered if they were real or imagined. We understood that the development of our new life would take time, but the changes we had hoped would happen quickly seemed to be taking forever. Many of our old habits, we desperately wished would vanish, continued to linger. And some of the expectations we set for ourselves just weren’t happening.

However, we also noticed that some of our undesirable behaviors that we previously accepted as normal (or just being human) had disappeared without any effort on our part. In fact, there were some attitudes and mindsets which were so deeply ingrained in our personalities; we didn’t even think they could be removed. Yet, they disappeared without a trace, and we knew it was a God thing.

We realized that our relationships improved as we lost our drive to maintain the upper hand. As our lust and greed began to diminish, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had the ability to connect with others in an honorable manner. We enjoyed the responses we received. Where we once bristled at pushback and rejections, we began to enjoy camaraderie and companionship. Where we once used and abused others, in order to assert our power, we found that we grew to appreciate the strength of unity and the influence of a cooperative spirit.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Level Up Your Decisions: Embrace Responsibility for Change

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To level up, we must acknowledge that every action starts with a choice. And every choice carries two equal and opposite decisions. In other words, every choice carries both a yes and a no decision.

If we say yes to sobriety, we say no to chaos and destruction. And visa-versa. If we say yes to a drink or drug, we say no to hope and sanity. When we say yes to thinking about our choices, we say no to making the same bad decisions, expecting different results.

When leveling up, we must accept our own responsibility for the choices and events of our lives. We must realize that our decisions, even in little things, matter.  Whether it is getting a good deal on a laptop we suspect is stolen, or working the system to get benefits we don’t really deserve, every decision sets off a chain reaction of negative results and consequences.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Overcoming Adversity: The Power of Yes and No Choices

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We thought about our individual experiences with yes and no decisions, then shared them with the group.

One member who had been set free from an addiction to porn, shared his decision-making process when it comes to watching television. He knows which shows will trigger lustful thoughts, so he simply chooses not to watch them. He decides instead to watch sports, cooking shows, and science programs on PBS. He says yes to living free from shame which means he says no to shows that trigger him. Each time he makes that choice, he places himself in a position of power. He continues to pursue his destiny using the wisdom God has given. He is leveling-up into a mature, godly man who demonstrates great leadership skills.

Another member of the group shared about self-esteem issues. From childhood, he had been trying to cope with the confusion of trauma, unaware of what to call it. He struggled with feelings of unworthiness and was unable to feel a sense of value. That all changed when he made the choice to learn about trauma and its effects. He chose to develop a relationship with Jesus, his Healer. He made a choice to forgive and move away from the pain. Because he says yes to openness, and no to suffering in silence, he now operates in a position of influence and serves as an advocate for others. He has the wisdom of God and the heart of a servant.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Using PREPLANT to Combat Negative Thoughts

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When comparing our cognitive distortions against the eight descriptive words in Philippians 4:8, we find our solution. With these eight guardrails in place, we can choose which thoughts to keep and which ones to set aside.

  • Pure
  • Right
  • Excellent
  • Praiseworthy
  • Lovely
  • Admirable
  • Noble
  • True

Using the acronym, PREPLANT, we can check ourselves regularly throughout the day to make sure the thoughts running through our heads line up with at least one on the list.

If a thought does not meet the criteria, it is deemed unhealthy and carries the potential to make us sick. We cannot level up until we let go of the thoughts that don’t measure up.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Choose Healthy Thoughts: Level Up Your Mindset

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When we catch ourselves feeling discouraged or ashamed, we simply ask, “Is this thought excellent and praiseworthy?” If it is not, we need to drop it.

As hard as it is for us to believe, we have more power over our thoughts than we ever imagined. We find it is perfectly fine to set a negative thought down. We don’t need to lug it around with us until we make sense of it. We aren’t required to analyze and over-think, searching for some secret solution hiding inside our rapid-fire scatter thoughts. We can just let go and let God.

Unhealthy thoughts are just that. Unhealthy. They can never help us level up. If a thought is not healthy, we can set it down and choose a healthier topic.

As it turns out, our thoughts are a lot like books in a library. If we happen to pick one out that isn’t good, we can just put it back and choose a better one.

Using the criteria listed in Philippians 4, while paying particular attention to the instructions following the word finally, we can select our thoughts with intention and precision. We don’t need to be saddled with thoughts that hold us down and hold us back. We are leveling up and need to clear our minds of the unproductive clutter.

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Tetelestai Recovery

This is a Test. This is Only a Test.

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My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.   James 1:2-4

As it turns out, these times when we feel spiritually depleted or disinterested are not red flags for us to fret over. They are simply tests. These temporary times when we lack inspiration or get caught up in life’s drama have no bearing on our position in Christ or our commitment to His work.

We have come to understand that the testing of our faith can never happen during good times when inspiration flows freely, we are highly motivated, and praise songs play on a loop in our heads. Times of high spiritual energy and passion are thrilling, but they can’t do the work of generating patience. Only the testing of our faith can do that.

What is the Testing of Our Faith?

  • When our feelings betray us and tell us we don’t love God like we should.
  • When our behavior slips into an old pattern and makes us believe we have not changed.
  • When the excitement and enthusiasm we once had for God seems dull and muted.
  • When we just don’t care about trying so hard, because it’s too much work.

Previously, these difficult times had been dark and made us doubt our relationship with God. We were frustrated to find Him so distant when we needed Him the most.

However, when we begin to view these events as a process which increases our patience and equips us for the next level, we start to see their value. We no longer need to feel frustrated when God goes silent. A good teacher is always silent during a test.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Navigating Spiritual Highs and Lows

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Sometimes we make really good progress and are pleased with the distance we cover in such a short time. We feel that our relationship with God is in great shape, and we are motivated by our sense of accomplishment.

At other times, however, we feel as if we were trudging through mud, putting one foot in front of the other, lacking any drive or inspiration. We feel inadequate, overwhelmed, and disinterested. During these times, we don’t feel so great about our relationship with God. We assume He is disappointed with our lack of energy and enthusiasm.

These times are rare, but they happen often enough to make us question our stability and resolve. We wonder if one of these periods might last so long that we will just give in and give up.

We don’t want to lose what we have gained, and we don’t want to miss the joy of the journey, so the thought of trudging through the marshy swampland of doubt, discouragement, and disagreement feels very threatening.

We love the mountaintops and the flowery meadows, but we must face the fact that dry deserts and muddy bogs are also part of the expedition. We must make peace with both if we want to get where we are going.

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