Tag: Recovery

Tetelestai Recovery

Unlocking Miracles: The Spiritual Meaning of Tetelestai

lastwordrecovery

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
buy Now on Amazon
Tetelestai Recovery

Understanding Unmet Emotional Needs: A Spiritual Approach

lastwordrecovery

Considering this list of our emotional needs, we realize how unfair it would be to expect another human to meet them. We think about all the times that we scroll through texts on our phones, looking for reassurance that we are worthy, needed, loved, approved, or any number of the other emotional needs we have at the time.

Ironically, it seems a bit ridiculous that we place more hope in a text on our phone than in Sacred Text filled with the love of God. One connects us to other flawed humans; the other connects us to the Creator of the Universe who loves us dearly. 

As we evaluate our unmet emotional needs and identify the ones which cause us the most pain, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us to our truth.

  • Have you ever been pressured to meet someone else’s emotional needs? How did that make you feel? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  • Have you ever pressured someone else to meet your emotional needs? How did that work out?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  • Name some specific emotional needs you have. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  • What are some scriptures you can claim over them?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Excerpt from: Tetelestai Recovery 3 – Leveling Up; Chapter 2: No Need

Order Now on amazon

Tetelestai Recovery

Understanding Emotional Needs: A Path to Healing

lastwordrecovery

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

ORDER NOW ON AMAZON

Home

The Power of Redemption: Becoming a New Creation in Christ

lastwordrecovery

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.

Tetelestai Recovery

The Last Word

lastwordrecovery

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.

Read More
Tetelestai Recovery

Conflict and Controversy

lastwordrecovery

As we level up, we begin to realize how unproductive it is to spend time analyzing controversial topics or arguing over the meaning of obscure scriptures. We avoid the debaters and instigators. We steer clear of the loud, sweaty preachers yelling about sin and eternal damnation.

We choose rather to participate in worship services, recovery groups, and Bible studies that are surging with positivity and hope. Our fellowship gatherings serve as a recharging station where we plug into the power and become energized for the work ahead. We focus on encouraging the gifts and talents of fellow believers.

We remain open to new opportunities, even though we feel awkward outside of our comfort zones. We understand that fear of the unknown is an obstacle everyone encounters, but it need not hold us back. We stay open to change and ready to pivot at a moment’s notice, in response to the Spirit’s directives.  

Chapter 1, Leveling Up

read more

Tetelestai Recovery

Out of the Comfort Zone

lastwordrecovery

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?

How has that experience empowered you?

read more

Tetelestai Recovery

Divine Destiny

lastwordrecovery

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.

read more

Tetelestai Recovery

Feelings vs Truth

lastwordrecovery

We know that our emotions can be a powerful force that affects us, body, mind, and soul. We also know that Jesus has made a way to escape being controlled by our feelings, which can range from pesky to obsessive or even frightening. We are told in the Word that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. This flies in the face of feelings which indicate something is wrong with us. Our feelings are no match for the Word of God. If the Creator of the universe says we are righteous, then our emotions have no right to dispute it.

We have been made right by the blood of Christ which was donated as a divine transfusion to heal us from the inside out. The emotions we feel, the sounds we hear, the words we say, and the images we see, must all defer to the words of our King who has decreed ‘tetelestai‘ (it is finished) over all that is wrong with us.

read more

Tetelestai Recovery

Unrealities

lastwordrecovery

At the end of the movie, while still experiencing these physical reactions associated with danger, the lights in the theater would brighten and the audience would stand to leave. Those feelings of tension, which had been so prominent a few minutes earlier, would completely disappear along with its physiological effects.

We were never really in danger, but our feelings responded to sights and sounds from the screen, rather than the truth of reality. Surprisingly, our physical responses quickly corresponded with our feelings, despite the fact that our emotions were based on unrealities.

Read More