Tag: Hope

Tetelestai Recovery

Why Gratitude Matters

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Be thankful in all circumstances, for this the will of God concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

As we prepare for the holiday of Thanksgiving, with all of the planning to gather with family, friends, and loved ones, we get anxious, don’t we? We often worry about shopping, cooking, relationship challenges, or maybe how past holidays turned out.

These are legitimate reservations that we need to listen to, but also realize that we can be thankful for these feelings. All of these holiday anxieties show us that we cherish these relationships regardless of past interactions that may have left us distanced from others.

We have reason to be thankful every day of the year. But Thanksgiving Day is special. A full day dedicated to gratitude is a gift – one we should not take lightly.

Giving thanks is a spiritual discipline, and a day dedicated to developing this life-giving habit with people we’re close to is a luxury and a gift. Giving thanks in everything is the way to achieve the utmost satisfaction in life. God made us and He knows how our brains work best.

Staying thankful is the best way to live our best lives. Being thankful is the way to remain in the center of God’s will, trusting that He is managing the details of our lives.

Tetelestai Recovery

The Last Word

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As part of an ongoing prison ministry at Lansing Correctional Facility behind the razor wire, we discussed Tetelestai (It is finished) with the inmates. Together, we explored the truth and finality of the power of Jesus’ words which delivered complete healing, grace, and forgiveness to all of mankind.

Not only did it call an end to addiction, dysfunction, and criminal behaviors, but it created a starting point for the beginning of something new, powerful, and unexpected. On the third floor of an old stone prison chapel, we embarked on a weekly tour of Jesus words and works.  We explored, discovered, and embraced the expansive impact of His words, “It is finished!” into other areas of our lives where we still struggled.

There we found freedom, commitment, courage, grace, love, compassion, fulfillment, and the desire to face our ailments and our addictions head on and in a permanent manner. Christ’s grace and what he did on the cross cannot be undone and neither can his words “It is finished.”

We documented what we discovered in that old prison Chapel. We wanted to preserve for others the testimony of our experience with the power of Tetelestai.  Jesus’ word had enabled us to move out of a lifestyle of relapse, despair, hopelessness, and criminal behaviors. We were able to move into something life-changing, and life-preserving, just like Christ’s work on the cross. We were excited to share how Jesus made us each a new creation.

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A Date With Destiny

Embracing the Holy Spirit: A Guide to Spiritual Clarity

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Happy Birthday 11/13



You know how to give good things to your children. How much more then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
Luke 11:13

The Holy Spirit has infused you with clarity of purpose and divine destiny. You maintain a higher level of spiritual perception because you listen to the Spirit and follow the instructions you are given. You have the mind of Christ and share His thoughts, ideals, and goals.

Your Spirit-controlled mind gives you a supernatural vantage point which allows you to view life from the divine perspective, outside of time, space, and human emotion.

You receive increasingly more light as you walk with Christ through the seasons of life.  Having the superior guidance system of the Spirit allows you to be in the right place, at the right time, making good decisions.

You deeply desire to live as the Spirit guides, because you want to do the right thing for yourself and those you love.

Spiritual directives come to you through divine insight and experience. You find comfort in knowing that the wisdom of Christ is gift from God rather than an academic accomplishment of your own human intellect.

You appreciate the strength of the Spirit when embarking on difficult journeys through forgiveness, regret, loss, and insecurity. You know that when your mind is controlled by the Spirit, the concept of faith is not difficult to comprehend.

As you continue to identify His thoughts and ideals emerging from your own mind, you realize that the Holy Spirit is truly yours and therefore, the possibilities are endless.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Divine Destiny

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Soon we came to realize that sobriety was not our end goal. As it turned out, sobriety was simply a way of life which we had grown to prefer, since clarity of mind was beneficial in our quest for true purpose.

We were certain that our Creator, possessing infinite intelligence, designed each of us in a unique manner which best equipped us for the tasks we would be asked to accomplish. We derived deep satisfaction from identifying these gifts and talents which had been placed within us. We found emotional, spiritual, and intellectual fulfillment in discovering how our own unique traits intersected with others’ to light up the darkness and advance the Kingdom.

We believed we were no longer damaged, dysfunctional, disease-ridden plagues on society. We sensed that our bodies, souls, and spirits were coming into harmony with our divine destiny. As light seeped in where the darkness had been, we saw things we’d never seen before. We understood spiritual concepts which had seemed confusing in the past.

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Tetelestai Recovery

Tetelestai Recovery

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Tetelestai Recovery – Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, “It is Finished!”

Within the pages of this book you will learn how to move out of your addiction and into your destiny. Through their personal journey of recovery, the authors present indisputable evidence that total healing and release from the disease of addiction can be found through the final declaration of Christ, “It is finished!”

Whether you are a suffering addict; an exhausted 12-stepper; a chronic relapser; or a person who loves one, Tetelestai Recovery will open your eyes to the possibility of permanent sobriety without the struggle. This revolutionary concept is bringing radical changes to the recovery community. You are here for a reason and it’s time to find out why.

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A Date With Destiny

Respected

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***Happy Birthday 11/3 ***

Exodus 11:3
The Lord made the Egyptians respect His people. Even the officials and all the people considered Moses to be a very great man.

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God has caused you to be respected by those who are naturally inclined to disregard you because of race, religion, culture, or economic status. You have gained the favor of those in power because God has placed you in a position to serve them.

You are kind, trustworthy, and compassionate. You are loyal and dependable. You are confident and comfortable in your own skin. Your submission to God’s authority has caught the attention of human authority figures and caused them to admire you.

You are respected wherever you go. You maintain a wide circle of influence and are surrounded by powerful people who are inspired by your call and willing to help you on your journey.

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A Date With Destiny

The Sound of His Voice

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1 Chronicles 11:2
The Lord your God spoke to you.

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As you hear God’s words, your faith surges. Supernatural energy infuses you with a heavenly mindset.  As you focus your attention on Kingdom goals, you are simultaneously improving the world in which you reside. 

In this way, you are living in two realms at once. You are a citizen of Heaven, and an ambassador of Christ. Your heart is set on things above, and your days are filled with bringing heaven to earth.

The spiritual sound waves of that still small voice within, creates melody in your mind and harmony in your heart. This music of heaven shifts your gaze away from human struggles and toward the throne room of your King.

You are able to enjoy the presence and comfort of God, while existing in a finite dimension. You reap the benefits of a dual reality where His Kingdom is as real to you as the world in which you live.

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A Date With Destiny

The Good Life

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Happy Birthday: October 28

A good person can look forward to happiness. Proverbs 10:28

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God is rewarding you with a life of adventure, suspense, and   joyful celebration. He also promises to bring you home to live with Him forever when your role as a human comes to an end.

As His child, you know that God is able to fulfill all the great and powerful promises He has given in His word.

He promises to never leave you or turn on you. He promises to love and be merciful to you. He promises to give you peace and rest, even in the midst of life’s storms.

The belief in God’s benevolence gives you a positive outlook on life and rewards you daily with a sense of gratitude.

You live your life with confidence, certain that God is managing the details of your life and successfully guiding you towards your destiny.

Eventually, your time on this planet will come to an end, and you will be released from the limitations of this physical realm.  Your eyes will be opened to the spirit realm.

There, in the  expanse of a dimension too immense to imagine, you will receive your ultimate reward as Jesus welcomes you home with open arms and a cheerful, “Well done!”

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Tetelestai Recovery

You Get to Choose

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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 in verse 8, 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.

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Chapter 9, Hold That Thought

Tetelestai Recovery

Guardrails

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When comparing our cognitive distortions against the eight descriptive words in Philippians 4:8, we find a way out. 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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Chapter 9, Hold That Thought