Joshua 1:6 So be strong and courageous, for you will lead these people.
While it is true that there is strength in numbers, there is another type of strength which is required when you must stand alone.
Your path is not always the one of least resistance. You are often led across barren deserts and through dense forests. These are times that try your soul and require strength beyond any human support system.
These are the times when you must strengthen yourself in order to accomplish the assignments God has ordained for you.
Personal and spiritual strength come from daily diligence. You have dedicated yourself to a spiritual workout each day, in order to be strengthened for the journey ahead.
As far back as we could remember, we felt different, damaged, and just plain wrong. We did not know exactly what was wrong with us. We only knew that we felt things more intensely than others and we processed our problems with great difficulty.
We obsessively examined ourselves, looking for clues to solve the mystery and find a key to unlock some invisible door which kept us perched precariously on the outside edge of normalcy. We noticed people we admired and made feeble attempts to imitate their persona. We sought out damaged friends who would validate us in our dysfunction. We pursued money to prove our worth. We questioned and blamed. We fought with ourselves and resented God. We learned how to act right, but we didn’t know how to feel right. Eventually it was our feelings which became our undoing.
The presence of unwanted feelings such as insecurity, inadequacy, fear, anger, and other social phobias, coupled with our inability to manage or control them, unleashed within us a desperation for relief at any cost.
We soon learned of a temporary reprieve which occurred when our brain chemistry became altered. We didn’t care that the relief would be short lived or cause irreparable damage to our relationships, our finances, and our minds. The momentary relief of rightness, contrasted against the life-long agony of wrongness, offered such an enchanting embrace, we surrendered without a fight….
Tetelestai is recorded in the original Greek text describing what Jesus said from the cross in His final moments of mortality. The English translation, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), is the basis for this program.
We believe that Jesus’ words hold miraculous power. We speak these words into our own lives and into the lives of others. We are confident that a spiritual principle is set in play when our statements come into alignment with the words of God.
So also, will be the words that I speak: it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do. Isaiah 55:11
Since Jesus gave witness on the cross, “It is finished,” we align with Him in calling an end to our addictions and dysfunctional behaviors. We testify in agreement with Jesus and thus, the matter is resolved.
Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13:1
Hebrews 12:12 So take a new grip with your tired hands. Stand firm on your shaky legs.
While it is true that there is strength in numbers, there is another type of strength which is required when you must stand alone.
Your path is not always the one of least resistance. You are often led across barren deserts and through dense forests. These are times which try your soul and require strength beyond a human support system.
These are the times when you must force yourself to fulfill your duties, even when you feel too tired or too weak for the task at hand. You do what is required, relying on the power of the Spirit to keep you strong and steady.
When we pull away from relationships because the emotional cost is too great, we feel like a bad person. We want to follow the leadership of Jesus. We want to be the kind of person who turns the other cheek and goes the extra mile. But being that person takes its toll on our sense of well-being. Our trust turns into suspicion. Our self-sacrifice turns into self-defense and self-preservation. We become discouraged and frustrated. Our personal investments don’t always pay off and it seems pointless to throw any more emotional currency toward relationships that are bankrupting us.
With our emotional center depleted, it is easy to just shut down and go dark. For some of us, the darkness is called depression, and we struggle with thoughts of self-harm. For some of us, the darkness is shoved aside with distractions. We bury ourselves in work, entertainment, shopping, or anything else that will keep us from dealing with our unmet emotional needs.
These needs keep us running from one relationship to another; one career path to another; one church to another; one substance to another. We play the blame game, accusing our parents, our partners, or our culture. We know we have unmet emotional needs, so we are naturally drawn toward people and situations that promise to meet them. Of course, it is only a matter of time before they fail us. No human can fully meet our deep emotional needs. It is a painful lesson we have to learn time and time again, until we begin to understand what it means to level up…
Excerpt from Tetelestai Recovery 3 – Leveling Up; Chapter 2: No Need
Ecclesiastes 12:10
The teacher looked for just the right words. He wrote teachings that are dependable and true.
You are a gifted teacher. You are able to transform thoughts and ideas into clear, concise phrases which are easy to understand. This makes you an amazing communicator.
Whether you are aware of it or not, there are many people who learn from you.
Not only do you excel at conveying facts and ideas, but you are also willing to take the extra time to patiently explain what they mean. You are great at problem-solving, organization, and thinking outside the box. Your mind is active and alert to the world around you.
With an open mind and a willing spirit, you seek fresh insight when solving difficult problems. Sometimes the solution comes as a sudden divine download, while other times, a fellow problem solver joins you in collaboration efforts.
Many of your teaching moments come in ordinary daily events, so the practical application of your guidance becomes easily incorporated into the everyday lives of those who learn from you.
You are both humbled and honored by this daunting task assigned to you by the Great Teacher.
You remain open to new learning opportunities. You enjoy doing the research and never fail to finish an assignment.
Romans 12:6 We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us.
God has given you a very unique and important gift. You have a remarkable level of patience when it comes to the artistic expressions found in puzzles, mosaics, and other unique configurations.
You enjoy finding fractured images in piles of scattered pieces of varying hues. You are sure that when the random jagged edges are fit together properly, these tiny colorful segments of will reveal a beautiful picture of what was meant to be. While others may see chaos and confusion, you see a collection of shapes and colors ready for organization.
From a spiritual perspective, this gift is vital to the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
Many people are broken. You have been gifted with the ability to help others piece together their shattered lives and become the masterpiece that God designed them to be.
Your ability to face brokenness with a logical and non-judgmental approach makes you the ideal candidate to bring the message of wholeness to those who are broken.
Genesis 12:2 I will bless you. I will make you famous and you will be a blessing to others.
Having been blessed by God, you are empowered to succeed.
The fear of failure may occasionally drift through your thoughts when you take on a project that you feel inadequate to manage, but knowing that you have been empowered to succeed by the Creator of the Universe, you set aside fearful feelings, and face each challenge head-on.
Being blessed by God, you see His supernatural power at work in all of your efforts. You realize that He is able and willing to make a success out of anything – even things you thought were failures.
Sometimes your successes do not appear all that successful at first. There are times that your initial attempts at success look a lot like failures. But, you live by faith, not by sight. You do not view failure as the end, but rather, the beginning of a new approach.
Empowered to succeed, you rise each day with a purpose and a plan. However, you also remain open to the possibility that an unexpected divine assignment may pop up along the way. If it does, you are willing to change course at a moment’s notice in order to fulfill it.
Genesis 12:1 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.
Following God is not always easy, but you are convinced that is the only way to real life and true joy.
As a follower, you are attentive to the One who is leading. You wait eagerly for His signals which indicate the need to slow down, speed up, or make a turn. Occasionally, you must even make a U-turn, which makes you feel as if you went the wrong way. However, even wrong turns are part of the journey, and the experience gained becomes a valuable reference point for the remaining journey ahead.
Since God designed you specifically for the road you will travel, equipping you with all the necessary provisions for a successful journey, the only thing you lack is the knowledge of where it might lead.
As you move toward your destiny, you learn that God does not reveal everything all at once. Your journey is one of personal discovery and growth.
You keep your undivided attention on the sound of God’s voice and you are always moving toward it. Sometimes it is a song, sometimes it is the wind, and sometimes it is the still small voice whispering your name in the midst of a storm.
Following God is a pleasure for you. As he directs, you happily tag along, never letting Him out of your sight.
As you remain alert to the changing landscape and split-second directives, you are able to avoid the pitfalls and potholes which may have caused injury.
You experience life in a more abundant way, thanks to your choice to travel the road that God chose just for you. The horizon is often hazy and uncertain. God usually doesn’t reveal the next step until you have picked up your foot from the last one. Yet, every stride becomes a place of new promise.
Letting go of what you are used to, and stepping out into the unknown is one of life’s most challenging experiences.
However, as the voice of God’s calls to you from the realm of the unknown, you cannot resist. Your heart is anxious, yet you are intrigued. Stepping out into the unknown, you find that the promises of God are waiting.
If you have a coupon you wish to redeem at the grocery store, you are trading a worthless slip of paper for its cash value from the manufacturer. In other words, the real value of the coupon didn’t exist until it was redeemed.
We are not defined by our history, we are remade and redeemed by it. Our true value is revealed through redemption. Our history brings us into an even deeper relationship with our Maker. God takes our past and weaves a new narrative which brings new life and a DEEPER life with Christ as our advocate and example.
In 2nd Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Through faith in Christ, we are made new. This verse reminds us that when we are in a relationship with Jesus, our past no longer defines us. We are transformed into new creations, with a fresh start and a renewed purpose.
Regardless of our past mistakes, failures, or regrets, God’s grace and forgiveness are available to us. In Christ, we can leave our old ways behind and embrace the new life that He offers.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 