HEALING OF THE SOUL AND SPIRIT MAN SERIES 001 – SANCTIFICATION AND TRANSFORMATION LESSON A
1 THESSSOLONIANS 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is not only concerned about our physical health, but also about the condition of our hearts, mind, emotions and spirits. Most of the time we focus on the well-being of our bodies which of course is an immediate concerned. A few of us are concerned about mental health especially in the developing nations where the main priority is to put a decent meal on the table for the family.
However the scriptures above highlights that man health needs are triune; body , soul and spirit all need to be considered and cared for so that man healthy wholistically.
As we grow up from infancy we all naturally encounter unpleasant situations and circumstances as we grow up. Some of this situations may seem normal to an adult, but to a growing child are very traumatizing and will leave a lasting mark in the individuals life. Outwardly the child may seem normal, but the unpleasant situation left an injury to the soul and/or spirit that may negatively shape their personality and character. The memories of our childhood affect the way we think, act and react today to issues. These memories also require healing.
CASE STUDY: – Mark {not his real name} was brought up by an alcoholic father, who beat up his mother and did little to care for his family. As he grew up he saw the pain in his mother’s eyes and vowed internally that he would not become a drunk like his father. He joined a local church where he found comfort and soon gave his life to the Lord when he turned 13. Salvation gave him a great peace of mind in spite of the chaos of his home. He was able to forget the problems of his family and get comfort from the loving church family. Soon his school grades began to improve. He performed well in his high school and was enrolled to pursue a course in medicine at his countries prestigious university. All seemed to be well with Mark until he got his first job as an intern while still at the university. He suddenly stopped attending the Christian union services and got in the wrong crowd. He soon began spending the money he earned with internship job to drink and party. After graduation his wild lifestyle continued. Once in a while he would still attend a church service and he claimed to be born again. He soon met Nelly who was a nurse at the hospital where he was first posted to work as a physician. Their relationship blossomed after one year they got married. For while again things between Mark and Nelly were all beautiful. He stopped the heavy drinking and began to attend church regularly. However after their second child Francis was born. Mark resumed drinking and even became violent. When his wife Nelly tried to talk to him about his negative ways he would turn violent and physically abuse her. Nelly tried to persevere this horrible behaviour for three more years, but finally she was forced to walk out of the marriage and they agreed to separate until Mark was able to change his ways. Finally it dawned on Mark that he had a serious problem. Although physically, financially and his outward life seemed fine and he had even given his life to Christ. He still had a sick soul and spirit because of his traumatizing childhood. They were areas in his inner man that needed healing.
DIAGONISING MARK’S INNER DISEASE
In order to diagnose the disease in Mark’s soul and spirit we must use the word of God as our standard.
The Correct Perspective of God’s Law
The Church has been established in the dispensation of God’s grace. That is absolutely true. Unfortunately they are teachers of the Word of God today who exclusively teach on the grace alone and do not highlight the positive aspects of the law that are eternal according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:17 -18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy , but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled .
Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate , and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The above scriptures clearly indicate that Jesus did not come to make the law of God obsolete rather he came to fulfill the Law. Therefore the Grace of God does not contrast or oppose the law of God rather it compliments and fulfills the Law of God. While the grace of God empowers us to walk on the path salvation, the law of God gives us the direction to salvation.
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul…..” God’s law does not need to be a set of do’s and don’ts. The laws of God when viewed under the lens of the grace of God are a blessing, a door way to freedom. They are not a curse from an angry God ready to punish offenders. The laws of God empowered by the grace of God are a restraining force that can keep you free and full of the joy of God.
The law of God is not a punishment, but an impersonal force.
Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” KJV
“Stop being deceived ; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants. (ISV)
“Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows. (NET)
There is a natural law of sowing and reaping. If you sow mango seeds you expect to reap mangoes. If you sow beans you cannot expect to reap oranges.
We know that natural laws are absolute and we obey them. In physics we learnt that “for every action there is a equal and opposite reaction”. Similarly what we sow is what we harvest. Another natural law is the law of gravity. If you throw a ball up, you do not expect it to fly into space. It must eventually fall to the ground in obedience to the law of gravity.
Both laws are impersonal and can work to your disadvantage or advantage if depending on how you apply them. Many people are not aware that spiritual laws are just as absolute like the physical / natural laws.
We are subject to God’s laws, whether or not we believe in them. Just like the natural law of gravity applies to all of us, whether we believe in gravity or not does not change the fact that it force applies to us. Similarly we may think that spiritual laws are non-existent or are relative and not absolute. We may not even be aware of the spiritual laws, but that does not change the fact that the laws will affect us either positively or negatively.
Each time we transgress them, we set in motion forces that must be reaped. Only by the unwavering certainty of the law of sowing and reaping can we know with equal certainty that we need Christ to reap on our behalf.
“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith”, Galatians 3:24.
The Law that Judgements will come back upon us
“Do not judge, lest you be judged yourselves. For in the way you judge , you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it shall be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2
This is the law of Judgment; when we Judge others we have sowed judgment, hence we should expect a fruit of judgment. The reaping of this seed of judgment may come one of the following ways.
We begin to subconsciously {internally} to expect others to treat us like those we have judged. “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure…” Titus 1:15 Nas
We become like those we judge.
Since we are guilty of the whole law, if we break it at one point (James 2:10), we are guilty of the same sins we judge others for.
If we do not forgive then we are not forgiven.
“For if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Matthew 6:15 NAS
Therefore , the sin we judge remains in us and we become like the one we judged.
Now let’s return to our case study. This was Mark’s problem, he had unknowingly Judged his alcoholic and violent father as a child while he was growing up. He hated and detested his father’s negative actions which caused their family great pain. He wisely made up his mind that he would not want to follow the path his father took. Unfortunately in the process he also judged his father and never truly forgave his him for the way he hurt them and beat his mother. If you casually asked him about his relationship with his father he would tell you that all was well and that the past had been forgiven. The reality was that Mark simply ignored the pain and had not faced it and dealt with it like many of us do. Deep down he was still judging his father. And this judgment had become a negative seed in his life that he later reaped by becoming just like him. “Like father like son”, “Like mother like daughter” is a common English saying that we all like to quote when positive qualities of a parent are reflected on their children. However the story is different when it is negative qualities of the parents that are being reflected. Mark had judged his father’s negative habits , now they we being reflected in his own life. Of course God does not blame him for his father’s negative actions, but God holds him accountable for allowing the seeds of judgment and unforgiveness to take root in his life. Now the harvest has been made manifest and he has become just like his father.
Many of us are in the same “boat”, and are in need of inner healing. We judged our parents and now we have become like them.
HOW DO YOU PRAY FOR BITTER ROOT JUDGEMENT?
-Ask God for forgiveness and make a choice to forgive.
Let the Holy Spirit lead you on how to repent you can also use the prayer sample below.
Prayer of Forgiveness
Father I come to you because You have said You want me to. I don’t know how to make forgiveness happen. I can’t cleanse my heart or change my feelings. I don’t know how to trust, and I’m afraid to hold my heart open. But now I’m making a choice to forgive. I’m setting my heart open. But now I’m making a choice to forgive. I ‘m setting my heart and will to choose to forgive again and again until you make forgiveness real and complete in me – until it becomes a way of life.
Please God, give me the willingness and strength to persevere until forgiveness is accomplished in me by your power. You know the history between____________(name) and me. You know _(name) hurt me by _(what happened)_. I release to you my right to hold this offence against him/her. I release to you my hurt, anger and /or resentment. Lord , I release _(name)___________to you—- be the judge in this matter. I ask you to cleanse me of the effect of the negative emotions that I have carried all this time. I ask for your healing touch, and I ask that you wash me and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Lord , after _____(name)_____did_____(what happened)_ to me I felt ________(be specific about how you felt- worthless, helpless, etc.). I speak forgiveness to him/her and ask you to release me from this person, emotionally and spiritually so that our relationship is no longer hindered by unforgivessness. I ask for the healing comfort of your Holy Spirit to be poured into the crushed and broken places.
Father, it is a hard thing to see and admit that I have also done hurtful things to others. I have repeated this harmful behaviour__________(name the behaviour)____and participated in this pattern. I hurt______(name)_ by _(action). I ask your forgiveness and ask that you strengthen me so that I may make matters right(where appropriate to do so). I ask you to be with me and give me courage and grace to ask for forgiveness, and give _(name)__ grace to forgive me. I ask that you bless us with restored relationship.
I ask you to restore my spirit in all its crushed and broken places. Teach me who I am, teach me my worth, especially in relationship with you. Heal the wounded hurt of the child within me. Let your light shine into all the hidden places of my heart. Pour your love in. Enlighten the eyes of my heart, Lord , so that I may see you and love You. As you really are. Help me walk in your ways. Help me pray this prayer until it is a reality in my life. AMEN.
Prayer of about Judgments
Lord , I recognize that I have judged. (state the judgment/s, as clearly as possible) I was wrong about______________. My judgments do not reflect your heart about ______, about me or about You. I realize that in judging I locked myself into doing the same thing, having the same attitude. Forgive me, Lord. And where my assessment was accurate, but my response was sinful,(bitterness, anger, condemnation), ask your forgiveness. Iask that you break the power of this judgments in my life so that the reaping of harm can stop. Break this judgments on Your cross, make into powder, and blow it away with the breath of Your Holy Spirit. I ask that you stop this pattern of behaviour and lift it out of my life or give me the wisdom, stamina and perseverance to eradicate it. I ask that your forgiveness and mercy would now flow rather than the destructive reaping of this judgments. Further, I ask that your truth would wash through my spirit and mind and impact my thought patterns and belief systems so that I can know the truth as you see it. Amen