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:
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.
Luke 1:30 “Don’t be afraid,” the angel said. “You have found favor with God!”
Your life is filled with the favor of God. He has chosen you to be the recipient of His goodness.
Some believe your life is easy, but like Mary, you also hide many things in your heart.
God’s call isn’t always an easy road to walk, even though it may appear easy to those who watch you move quietly and methodically through difficulties.
Like Mary’s experience, the blessings of God may not always appear as blessings at first.
There are things God asks of you that may not seem possible or even rational. Your destiny is a path which some may question. This is because God has revealed plans to you that no one else could ever understand.
Genesis 1:17 God put all these lights in the sky to shine on the earth.
You see the magnificence of God as you gaze into the sky. When surrounded by the wonders of the universe, you stand in awe of the Maker’s design.
You love to examine the night sky. You are are captivated by the phases of the moon and marching constellations as they glide across the atmosphere.
It is in this upward focus that you gain perspective. When you look at the sky, the purpose for your earthbound existence becomes clear.
It excites you to realize that you have been offered a divine destiny by the Creator of the Universe; the God of the Galaxies.
As you look at the vast expanse, you are in awe that the Creator calls each star by name.
This offers you great comfort because it reveals how intimately the Creator knows and values each component of the Great Creation.
This gives you a sense of security and safety. You understand that your Maker designed you for a specific purpose, and just like the stars, you light up when He calls your name.
It only takes a little faith us to get out of the boat and trust Jesus to keep us afloat. We want to stay in the safety of the boat where everything is familiar. We want to experience smooth sailing with no waves or winds. However, there is a little seed of faith inside which 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.
Name a time when you took a risk and moved forward despite the presence of natural fear?
Then Jesus turned to His followers and whispered without anyone else hearing, “Happy are those who see what you see!” Luke 10:23
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You have a unique ability to visualize the insights which have come to you from Christ. Your imagination is the canvass on which He paints the portrait of your future.
You believe that God provides spiritual vision to those who seek His wisdom. This supernatural perception allows you to see clues and insights that you might otherwise have missed.
Through specific life events, your spiritual intuition has been fine-tuned. You enjoy insights and awareness which extend beyond natural human perception.
It is quite possible that many of the lives you touch and the wisdom you share will prove to alter the course of history for generations to come.
In detailed, methodical steps, God is bringing you to new levels of understanding. Each day, you gain clarity and vision into your divine destiny.
Little by little, you discover your true purpose and become more comfortable with your place in His Kingdom. You are learning that your position in His family comes with a deep sense of responsibility.
You see a hurting world around you, yet you also see the heart of God which seeks to deliver the light of His wisdom to anyone who is tired of stumbling through life in the dark.
Many of God’s children remain unable to walk in the light of God’s wisdom, but they can see His light shining through you.
You see Jesus at work, even when you feel surrounded by darkness. You are confident that His light will always appear to guide and protect your path.
You see Jesus, loyal and devoted, taking care of your past, present, and future.
You know He has appeared in some of your darkest hours, and you have no doubt He will always be there beside you, even when your vision of Him is obscured by conflict, anxiety, or confusion.
Jesus has always been there in your peripheral view. From early childhood, you have sensed a supernatural bond between yourself and the Divine.
Your spiritual perception becomes clearer as you peel back the layers of doubt. Through this process, you are beginning to see that Jesus’ vision of you is much more remarkable than anything you’ve seen in yourself. And His vision for your future far exceeds anything you might have ever imagined for yourself.
It will not really be you speaking. The Spirit of God will be speaking through you.
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You are called to be the voice of Christ to some of God’s lost children who don’t seem to be able to hear Him for themselves. When you speak of God’s love and forgiveness, it is the Spirit of God speaking through you, infusing the atmosphere with hope and life.
There are specific souls you will be drawn to. This is a nudge from the Holy Spirit.
Due to your own life experiences and unique character qualities, the connections you make with those who are struggling will prove to alter their lives as well as your own. You will be the one to help them find their way to the Father, and thus, find their way home.
As a representative of redemption, you find that the chosenones are typically the most broken ones.
Your ability to connect with troubled people in a non-judgmental approach makes you the ideal candidate to bring God’s message to those who cannot hear His voice for themselves.
When caught up in a moment of testing, we must resist letting our feelings and circumstances serve as a litmus test of 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.
As we release our addictions with the words of Jesus, “It is finished!” and settle comfortably into our new normal, we feel gratitude beyond words. The dysfunctions we struggled with in the past are fading in the distance. We are on firm footing and making solid progress.
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.
When the roads are easy, we feel joy in looking back to see how far we’ve come. When the roads are difficult, we seem to take one step forward, two steps back. Sometimes we slip and fall. Sometimes we just stand still and shrug. Even when we do finally get on firm footing again and start to move forward, we scold ourselves for not being stronger, more resilient, or more determined.
If we were to replicate an artistic masterpiece, for example, Michelangelo’s sculpture David where would we begin? A block of granite would be a good start, but after that, what next? A chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other, then tap, tap, tap away. It seems there should be no concern over the shape of the nose until the face has begun to take form. An artist would not frustrate himself over an earlobe’s curve if the nape of the neck has yet to be established.
It is one thing for a sculptor to envision his finished project. It is quite another thing, to plan for every tap, every move, and every chip. The first is art. The latter is insanity.
And so, we were given only one instruction at a time. God didn’t show us how to take the next 53 steps of our journey. He simply showed us one first, and then the next, and the next, and the next. He knew that we had a tendency to run out ahead of Him and wander off. Therefore, He gently kept us at His side, giving us only one instruction at a time. He knew that one simple stumble could place us into the path of the enemy, so His hand held us close. To counteract the enemy’s offensive moves, His plan had to remain flexible and changeable. Therefore, if He gave us the entire game plan, we might have run ahead and walked into a trap or missed His unexpected strategic maneuvers.
Therefore, we encouraged ourselves and each other with the simple mantra: Do the next right thing. That’s it, that’s all. God never asks us to make a five-year plan, complete with bar graphs and pie charts. He merely asks us to place one foot in front of the other, holding tight to His hand.
One step at a time, taking care not to run ahead, we found that God’s direction for us wasn’t always religious in nature, nor did every event seem extraordinarily significant. But as our journey continued, we realized that each right thing led us to the next right thing. And in this realm of just one thing, the next right thing, we found balance in our walk and harmony with ourselves.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 