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.
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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.
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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.
We believe in the scriptural principle of sowing and reaping. We see the effects of this principle in the natural realm as well as the spiritual. We are certain that an oak tree will not grow from a thistle seed. Therefore, we do not expect to receive hope and healing by speaking of our addiction as a lumbering giant which threatens to steal our sobriety.
We dare not speak of relapse, as this seed grows into a massive, poisonous vine which produces an itchy sensation known as irritable, restless, and discontent syndrome. We dare not speak of our past indiscretions as a boastful or laughable matter, for this seed will grow into a field of dandelion memories with brightly colored egotistical blooms. How quickly they turn to hollow puffs of fly-away seeds, searching for another ego to embed! We dare not speak of our resentments, for this is the thicket which depletes our energy and slows our progress.
The words which produce a harvest we don’t want ought never to be sown by our voice. The negative words which have been spoken to us, or about us, or by us, must be pulled up by the roots before the harvest ever comes.
We begin our day with a simple statement from our own lips, “I cancel out any negative words which have been spoken or written to me, about me, or by me, in the name of Jesus. I ask the Holy Spirit to destroy any growth which may have occurred from these cursed seeds, and to remove them by the roots.”
Those things which we believed of ourselves, based on the things we were told by other sick people from our past, had emerged as a thicket of tangled thoughts and continuing behaviors. As we walked through the steps of our recovery, we found undergrowth which kept tripping us up. When we released our recovery into the hands of Jesus, the Holy Spirit began to guide us regarding the removal and elimination of these parts of us we didn’t know how to manage. Some of us needed counseling, some needed medication, some needed a change in diet or activity, but all of us needed supernatural healing in many layers.
We found the facts of the first story in Mark chapter five, concerning a demon possessed man who cut himself and lived in tombs, to be tragic and disturbing. We also identified with him in a way that few others can. This man was out of his mind, and everyone knew it. The historical facts had proven that human power was no match for a demon. Evil was an entity to be feared and avoided.
When we were lost in our addiction, we were self-destructive, violent, fearful, crazy, and more conspicuous than we cared to admit. The demoniac man is one we relate to with deep heartbreaking empathy. We walked his path. Like him, our path led to Jesus. And in like manner, Jesus called out our demons and returned us to our right minds.
Fact: this man was violent and dangerous.
Fact: anyone who got close got hurt.
Fact: the man had been this way for many years.
Fact: there was no treatment or remedy available for him.
Fact: no mortal man could throw down with a legion of hell hounds and live to tell about it.
Fact: the demoniac man ran toward Jesus.
Truth: Of all these facts, only one held any significance: He ran toward Jesus.
Truth: When he ran to the Prince of Peace, with his frightening facts, they were overpowered by the Truth.
Truth: The man’s sanity was restored, and his life changed forever.
Oddly, the story states at this point that the people were afraid. Sadly, when we were delivered from our addiction, some of our friends and family were afraid too. They were afraid it wouldn’t last; afraid it was too good to be true; afraid it was a manipulation technique; or just afraid of being hurt again.
Tetelestai Recovery – Chapter 8, Facts are Changeable
Meanwhile, Noah sent out a dove to see if the water had gone down.
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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.
Truth can change the facts but the facts can never change the Truth.
We discovered within the Tetelestai realm of recovery, we were no longer destined to remain stuck in our sickness and disoriented in our dysfunctions. We were painfully aware of the facts concerning statistics, relapse, and case studies. We also knew the facts of our past, our failures, and our crimes.
We could not rely too heavily on these facts however, for if we subjected ourselves to natural results, we would forfeit the opportunity of a supernatural override. If we allowed ourselves to be enclosed by a fence of facts, we would once again fall victim to the old status quo. In agreement with Christ, we declared, “Tetelestai,” against becoming just another statistic.
We looked to the fifth chapter of the gospel of Mark to discover Jesus’ total disregard for facts. In this one chapter, we found three unique and unrelated accounts of individuals who desperately sought to change the facts of their reality. Each case study contained significant details which would negate the likelihood of change. To change an unchangeable fact is outside the realm of reality. We, like the characters in Mark 5, rejected typical reality based solely on facts. We believed that our righteous Judge could and would overrule the facts to establish His trademark justice which is lovingly steeped in mercy.
When we claimed the powerful declaration of Christ, “Tetelestai,” over our sickness, poverty, strained relationships, and criminal records, we were, in essence, asking Jesus to override our human facts in preference to His divine truth concerning our divine purpose and potential.
Tetelestai Recovery – Chapter 8, Facts are Changeable
Obey the instructions of the Lord your God. Live as he directs you and honor him.
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You realize that nature is the expression of God and all human beings are His children. Therefore, you honor Him by honoring them.
You pay respect to your Creator in the way you live your life. You walk gently on the planet and show gratitude for the resources it provides. You lovingly protect the environment and lead by example to create positive change in your world.
You reject flashy fanfare and showy performances. Instead, you choose the more noble path of walking quietly and humbly with your God.
We imagined an electric fan. We could manually spin the blades and create a slight breeze. Obviously, we would have to consistently place our fingertips on the top of the slowing blades to give it another spin. Our entire attention would be devoted to managing the spin of the blades. Our obsession with keeping those blades spinning would consume us, and we would be able to accomplish little else.
If, however, we became willing to plug the fan in to an electrical socket, the blades would spin without effort, in a smooth rhythm, independent of our attention. The effects would be much more noticeable, yet effortless. We could remain active and alert with the more important duties of life, comforted by the breeze of an unseen power.
Faith and doubt, while appearing to be polar opposites, are the alternating currents which work together, generating an absolute belief in Christ. We cannot fully resolve our doubts within our faith. That’s why Jesus tells us time and time again, “Only believe.”
Faith in wholeness, when we felt so broken, was more work than we anticipated.
We worked to believe that somewhere in time, we would possess this shalom which Jesus had bequeathed us before His death.
We worked to believe, when doubts bubbled to the surface after losing our temper, feeling depressed, or experiencing muscle cramps from the lingering effects of the toxins we had used.
We worked to believe our shattered lives could be put back together when legal issues remained unresolved and court cases loomed in our future.
We worked to believe that Jesus’ wholeness could restore us to our original value when we found ourselves faced with the wreckage of our past and the rejection from our families.
We worked to believe in the wholeness of Christ coursing through our veins, restoring the health of mind and body when our inner voice kept telling us we were being foolish and naive.
Finally, we concluded that the only way to test this hypothesis was to presume the words of Jesus were true and choose to believe that they might actually be able to work for us. It seemed worth a shot. After all, we were out of options, so what did we have to lose?
People were coming to Jesus from every town and city.
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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.
When has worry EVER made something better? It usually makes us weak and sick.
We can overcome fear by looking to God and receiving his love. 1 John 4:18 tells us that “perfect love casts out fear.”
Marcus Aureoles wrote, “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
We can choose to be fearful. We can choose not to be fearful.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
The spirit of fear doesn’t come from God and it certainly isn’t what He wants for you.
Fear, worry, and anxiety are silent killers. They shorten our lives and have a negative impact on those around us.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 