Wholeness

<<completeness>>

Ever since ‘the fall’ people have lived damaged lives (not as God intended) and further damaged each other. God’s primary objective is to restore each of us to wholeness and relationship with Himself.

Every challenge in our lives is an opportunity for us to experience increasing togetherness and restoration by putting to death the wrong habits and selfish un-crucified way of life. In stubborn rebellion we can refuse and resist these times, choosing not to benefit by them, yet coming into ever-increasing wholeness will bring personal benefit and enable us to minister more effectively in helping others. Why not be a shining example of the difference Christ makes in a redeemed sinner’s life – one who is progressively coming into wholeness? Satan knows the potential of Christians living as Jesus did, so he does all he can to keep believers ignorant of their position in Christ, broken and ineffective, in defeat and bondage. However, we are not the devil’s property any longer, we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. He wants to restore to us what was lost at the fall and set us free from all the destructive power of sin. It requires a shift of focus, from ourselves to Him, outworked as death to our self life to be alive in Christ (Rom 6:4). Am I prepared for the challenge, actively pursuing it even if others don’t comprehend or value what is their right as children of God.

Because of the ravages of sin, coming into wholeness is a process of growing step by step. We have the responsibility to guard what we allow into our lives because it charts the direction of our life, affecting our

Start living out your inheritance in Christ

thoughts, attitudes and values, resulting in our words and actions (Prov 4:23; Mt 12:35, 15:18,19; Gal 6:7,8; Phil 4:8). We must be disciplined and ruthlessly deal with the old sinful flesh while conscientiously nurturing our new life in Christ. This applies especially to the thought life as this is where the majority of the battles commence (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 9:27, 15:31; 2 Cor 4:11, 5:17, 10:5; Gal 2:20; Eph 4:22-24). It requires us to go beyond just the desire and resolutely take the steps necessary to come into freedom and to experience what Christ died on the cross to gain for us (Jn 8:32,36; Rom 6:11-13, 8:10, 13:14; 1 Pet 2:24). He took our place so that we can be partakers of His nature and experience the victory of the abundant life (Jn 10:10; 1 Cor 11:24; 1 Pet 1:4, 3:18). It is essential to walk in humble dependency on God, realising it is only by His grace and mercy we are what we are, and through Him, we can become and continue in all He intends us to be, for “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (1 Cor 10:12; Gal 5:1, 6:1). Why not make it a priority to deal with issues that cause us to live below His standards for us.

The key to wholeness is our relationship with God who said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (Ezek 36:26). As the anointing of God breaks the yoke of bondage to sin, it is essential to continue living in the Spirit, being filled with and obedient to Him and not relapsing into the old lifestyle for we have escaped from the trap of the

Am I allowing Jesus to heal my 'less than whole' areas?

devil to do the Lord’s will (Isa 9:4, 58:6; Zech 4:6; Gal 3:3, 5:16,17,25; Eph 5:18; 2 Tim 2:26). Although the physical body might be decaying, the spirit (the real us) has been made alive (revitalized) and should be coming into increasing completeness in Christ, with each day an improvement on the day before, as we outwork the fruit of the Spirit and the nature of Christ within.

May God sanctify you fully, for He wants to bring life and restoration to the spirit, wholeness to the soul, with healing to body – total soundness to a complete being as each aspect of our intricate being is intertwined (1 Thes 5:23; 3 Jn 1:2). This can only come when we face the truth and apply ourselves to the task with His enabling. While we can get to heaven with a broken body and less than whole soul we can't get there with a heart that has not been cleansed by the blood of Christ.