The trajectory of our future is altered by our thoughts when we base them on the perceived realities that swirl around in our brains unchecked. We may hate our pessimism and suspicion, but we can’t break out of the cycle. We may despise our long dreary days of dark thought spirals, but we can’t seem to stop them once they start.
We think about what people were saying about us behind our backs. We wonder if they really wish we weren’t around. We suspect we are going to be fired, dumped, rejected, or abandoned. We replay old conversations, trying to read between the lines so we can better prepare for a number of worst-case scenarios that are likely to befall us.
It has been said that a coward dies a thousand times, a brave man, only once.
***********
Our thoughts create the reality we live in, whether they align with the truth or not.
To level up, we must develop healthy thought patterns and discipline our minds to stay on a positive track. We can no longer allow our thoughts to wander aimlessly through the minefield of our worst imaginations. We must carve new pathways for our thoughts to travel. We need to keep our thoughts on the high road and pump the brakes when we are headed for the ditch. But how?
Some of us are isolated in self-fulfilling word caves:
“I will never be like my mother/father/sibling!”
“No one is going to tell me what to do!”
“Once and addict, always an addict.”
“I will never allow anyone to get close to me again!”
“I can’t trust anyone but myself.”
Sadly, we lose our identity in these word-caves because they only define us by the negative; what we won’t do. The words never define us by our positive traits or what we can be. Our personalities form around our resistance, which prevents us from developing a sense of self and cultivating our gifts, talents, and abilities. We lead a reactionary life, in knee-jerk mode. Our light is dimmed by the darkness of our own words.
Living in these caves leaves us dull and lethargic. We search for an identity. We become chameleons and mimic the personalities of those we find likeable or interesting. The fit is never quite right, and we rarely feel truly authentic.
The word cave, ‘No one is going to tell me what to do!’ creates a rebellious monster within us. It roars with rage around authority figures and pushy people.
The word cave, ‘I will never let anyone get close to me again!’ is a self-sabotaging prophecy. Keeping people at arm’s length keeps us safe from the risk of heartbreak, but it also keeps us imprisoned in solitude. In time, loneliness transitions into self-pity, and we no longer have to push people away. No one wants to get close.
Many of us hide in the caves of addiction, alcoholism, co-dependence, idealism, lies, promiscuity, and even perfectionism. These caves may have been where we ran to hide at one time in our lives, but they are not healthy places to be. Eventually, these caves become prisons. The fortress where we hide becomes the stronghold of the enemy to keep us from fulfilling our divine destiny.
We fight our battles in the spirit realm through vocal vibrations. We speak the words of God to pull down cognitive distortions that produce fear, despair, discouragement, and low self-esteem. These are the strongholds of the enemy.
Strongholds are the enemy’s Trojan horse. They are the mental constructs where the forces of darkness hide, staging attacks from within. These forts are constructed, brick by brick, through words and phrases heard over the course of a lifetime. Some of the words come from others, some come from ourselves. But ultimately, each brick in the stronghold originates from the enemy.
As we level up, we can sense that strongholds in our minds are slowly being dismantled. Some of the bricks fall and roll away. Some of the bricks are slung back at us. Some of the bricks are used by the enemy to build new strongholds in a different area of our lives.
To pull down these internal strongholds, we speak words of life, newness, clean slate, fresh start, and positive energy. We claim power and healing in the promises of God. We absorb life-giving, life-sustaining words from our spiritual siblings. We notice words of life all around us, electrifying the atmosphere with sparks of light. We generate spiritual energy when we speak these words to ourselves and our fellow travelers. Our power intensifies as we receive words of life from Sacred Text, songs of praise, prayer, and uplifting conversations.
These energy producing words are breaking through the barriers and exposing the enemy’s hiding places. Our strongholds are crumbling like the walls of Jericho as we shout praise to God. These vibrations from our vocal cords pulverize the enemy’s garrison like a jackhammer.
What is unique about the day you were born and the scriptures that correspond with it?
The day you were born was a date with destiny, for it was on that day, you began a journey that would alter the course of history. You may have already sensed a divine plan and purpose for your life.
Examine the sacred text that aligns with your birthday. Ponder the descriptions following each selection. You will be amazed at the accuracy in identifying your unique character qualities and personality traits. You will be excited about your future and inspired by the divine destiny that is yours.
You are here for a reason and it’s time to find out why.
We grew up so familiar with our shame, it seemed to be a part of our personality. We didn’t know how to relinquish it, so we put it on a pedestal and made it an object of worship. We justified our outrageous behaviors, bragged about our immorality, and shook off our fears with a ‘who cares?’ attitude. We couldn’t extinguish our shame, so we embraced it. We got together with other shame-filled people and competed for admission into the Hall of Shame.
When the power of Christ was revealed to us, we became new creatures. However, not all our shameful behaviors disappeared overnight. Shame was still very much a part of our lives. We no longer reveled in it. On the contrary, we wished it to be buried with our former selves whom we had grown to despise.
Ironically, the hatred we felt toward our shame was not an indication of our failure to believe. We believed in Christ, and we clung faithfully to his words, “It is finished!” However, that root of shame continued to produce bitter fruit and we needed relief.
We consciously pondered our thoughts of ourselves in relation to the thoughts God has toward us. We practiced praise continually. We claimed Tetelestai over our addictions, disease, poverty, and any other form of the curse from which the power of the cross had set us free. We watched our words and verbalized our agreement with God concerning His perception of us. We called ourselves Blessed, More than Conquerors, Children of God, and Chosen. We trusted that Jesus bequeathed to us his very own Shalom, which assured us the promise of wholeness, with nothing missing, nothing broken. We no longer trusted our feelings as the Truth, but rather, we relied on the Word of God and the guidance of His Spirit to be our compass. We recognized that facts are changeable and when we are out of options, it only means we are in the perfect position for a miracle. We believed that the supernatural could override the natural realm and we occupied territory never before conquered.
Sadly, our shame was still an integral part of our existence. Our guilt taught us that we made mistakes. Our shame told us we were a mistake. We had no remedy for our shame.
We tried to hide our feelings of shame with superficial coverings. We used money, prestige, aggression, relationships, and an air of superiority to quiet the inner voice which whispered, “If others only knew the real you…”
As we journeyed down this treacherous path, as new creatures in Christ, we searched for insights from our Sacred Text. In Mark 11, we found the story of Jesus encountering a fig tree which was covered in green leafy foliage but had no fruit. He simply said, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And the disciples heard him say it. The next day, when passing by the same tree, it was reported to have been withered from the roots up.
At first, we felt that Jesus overreacted to the failure to find fruit. We suspected he had become too tired and hungry, which we all know is a prelude to becoming too angry. However, after closer inspection, we are reminded that this was a fig tree. These fig leaves were a reminder of that time back in the Garden of Eden when His newly created couple tried to cover their shame. The fig tree with leaves but no fruit was a symbol of humanity without purpose.
As we progressed up the path in the Tetelestai Realm of Recovery, we discovered a powerful weapon against the onslaught of obsessions, compulsions, and other dysfunctional thought patterns. The weapon was praise and it turned out to be more powerful than we ever imagined.
We came to see that when we praised God, we experienced a higher level of satisfaction in our lives, and we became more deeply aware of His goodness surrounding us. We also noticed that when our praises declined, so did our sense of well-being.
From simply a human point of view, this made perfect sense to us. We were easily able to confirm the effect praise has on all creatures. Praise given to a pet or a child is the way to convey approval and appreciation. Praise offered to a co-worker is received with gratitude and goodwill. Praise given to a spouse, partner, or family member can bridge a strained relationship or energize an exhausted soul.
We realized that when we praised God, we were verbalizing our trust in His divine plan. When praising God, we were simultaneously attracting angelic presence and repelling demonic entities. Knowing that neither angels nor demons can read minds, we put great emphasis on verbalizing our praises.
In our study of the praise process, we noticed in various groups of people, when praise was offered to an individual, idea, or accomplishment, others in agreement would gather round to voice their commendation. However, there were occasions when an opposing individual or group would disapprove of the admiration. Those particular individuals or groups would generally withdraw and exit the area.
We found this research to be incredibly enlightening. When paralleled with the spirit realm, we began to understand the impact our praises might have on the atmosphere surrounding us. If angels love to praise God, we could expect them to gather round those who are doing the same. In like manner, the demonic spirits, who refuse to offer their praises to God, would be repulsed by such joyful admiration of our Father.
With this scenario in mind, we began praising for every element of beauty, comfort, or protection we encountered. After only a brief time of this practice, we found that the demon of depression lifted, the spirit of selfishness released its grip, and the antagonist of addiction grew weaker. Based on our hypothesis, we continued our conscious effort to offer praise to God regularly throughout our daily duties. The results led us to a most rewarding conclusion.
Tetelestai Recovery – Chapter 10, The Power of Praise
If you are eager to give, God will accept your gift on the basis of what you have, not on what you don’t have.
****************
You are known for your thoughtfulness when it comes to giving. You remain alert to the needs of others and are excited to fulfill them.
You are a generous person. You willingly offer your time, energy, and expertise to those who are in need of assistance.
You enjoy giving your time, energy, and resources to others. You find that this brings you an enormous sense of purpose. You are motivated to act when you see a need and have the ability to help meet it.
God is pleased by your generosity and accepts it is as an expression of your faith. No matter how small the gift, it is significant.
When you encounter a need which appears too great, and you wish you could do more, you give what you can and trust God to give the increase.
As you give of your time, energy, and resources, you experience replenishment rather than depletion.
This is the manifestation of Christ’s Kingdom at work on the earth.
As you willingly become the answer to someone else’s prayer, your generous spirit pleases the King.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies. Nothing you want is equal to it.
***********
You have invested your time and energy into the pursuit of something more valuable than mere monetary gain. You understand that the most valuable asset a person can hold is the divine gift of wisdom. Your contributions of commitment and loyalty are invested freely into the Kingdom of God and His returns never disappoint.
Supernatural wisdom comes to you like a divine download, and you are often amazed by the sudden level of understanding that seems to hit you out of nowhere.
You actively seek wisdom from God, and as a reward for your humble request, the Holy Spirit infuses you with the creativity to discover solutions which are beyond your natural range of comprehension.
You prove yourself to be a trustworthy protector of what is sacred. You give honor to God and respect to His creation.
As you invest in God’s Kingdom, the dividends of wisdom are compounded daily, sustaining and guiding you to your destiny.
Meanwhile, Noah sent out a dove to see if the water had gone down.
**************
There are times when you are ready to move into a new phase of your journey, but you have not been given the signal that it is time to move forward. Like Noah waiting for the water to subside, you may have to be patient and wait before taking the next step.
As the anticipation about an exciting new project builds, the wait can sometimes seem unbearable. However, without a signal from God that the time is right, an otherwise successful mission might become a disastrous mess.
If Noah had skipped the waiting period and began unloading the ark as soon as the rain stopped, the passengers and animals might have all perished in the flood waters.
While the ark may not have been the most desirable place to be, it was the safest. It may have been quite smelly and dirty, but it was the place for Noah to wait until God revealed that it was the right time to leave.
The dove in Noah’s story played a significant role in initiating the start of a new era. Noah was selected to rebuild civilization on a planet which had been washed clean by the flood.
Many centuries later, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove which appeared at Jesus’ baptism. Once again, a dove gave the signal. It was time for the Son of God to leave the carpenter shop in order to establish the new era of grace.
As an avid bird-lover, you appreciate the symbolism of doves. You find their presence soothing. It reminds you that God’s is always near and His Spirit will let you know when it is time to move forward into something new.
People were coming to Jesus from every town and city.
***************************
Finding Jesus in ordinary places is not difficult for you. While it is true He is not on this planet in His earthly form, you are able to detect His presence when you distance yourself from places and things which tend to distract you.
In your birthday verse from the book of Luke, it states that the people left their towns on a quest to see Jesus.
In a similar pattern, you too have your most intimate encounters with Christ when you are away from the city lights and the chaos of human interaction. You experience the presence of Jesus when you are in a solitary space.
Sometimes this is a literal endeavor, when you get off by yourself into a open air setting to connect with creation. You see Jesus more clearly when you shift your focus away from natural events in order to catch a glimpse of the supernatural.
This is not a rational process, nor does logic come into play. To see Jesus, there must be faith that He will be there when you arrive.
As you practice removing yourself from what is familiar and stepping out in faith, you are able to recognize Jesus more clearly. Refreshed by His energy, you find harmony and healing.
When you leave all the distractions behind, you are open to the sense of His presence in everything you see.
Your desire to see Jesus, and the effect He is having on the world around you, is the driving force for your divine destiny.
You do not remain set in your ways, with a rigid schedule of daily duties. You sketch out a tentative plan in your mind each morning, but remain open to changes as the Holy Spirit directs your day.
The terms chance and coincidence are not part of your vocabulary. You set out each day to find new evidence of divine intervention in ordinary events and you are never disappointed by what you discover.
Jesus appears to you in many forms. He weaves Himself in and out of your day, energizing you with a sense of love, power, and confidence.
Sometimes you see Him in other human beings. Sometimes you see Him in animals and plants. You see Him in science and are passionate about discovering the complexities of the Creator’s design on this planet.
You hear Him in thunder and the whistling winds. You hear Him in music and laughter.
You hear the rustle of angel wings in the melodies of old hymns. You overflow with emotion when the gentle breeze of His Spirit whispers your name in the stillness of the night.
You discover the presence of Jesus when you seek Him. You remain alert and aware of His influence and promptings on a minute by minute basis.
You are willing to walk away from what distracts you in order to get a clear view of His presence.
Your prayers are not traditional or eloquent. They are more like a casual running conversation with a close friend. His gentle peace surrounds you as His presence lights up the path where you walk.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 