THIS/THAT
God planted a book in my spirit. Laboring for that, birthed this ministry. He knows how I operate, he knows what I feel. He knew that is what it would take to get me to build this. Prior to launching, I prayed for seven years, ‘bless the work of my hands and let it double as that for your kingdom’. From the moment I started praying that, he spent those seven years preparing me for exactly this. Before He equipped me, there was a heart bent towards women after Jesus. Especially those limping towards him, stumbling after him, just like me.
I’ve learned when something happens in the natural, there’s usually a parallel happening in the spirit. As He added to me literal skills in the workplace that would help me carry this out now, he was also showing me what work still needed doing to heal my soul.
HOLY & WHOLE
My hope is simple. I want you, I want us, to stop sweeping offenses under the rug of Christian forgiveness and do the hard work to heal. Don’t hear me wrong. If we are going to get anywhere, we must forgive as we have been forgiven. We must also repent and be forgiven. But, that’s only half the story!!! The Bible says God makes everything holy and whole(1 Thes 5:23 MSG), whole and holy(Rom 15:16 MSG).
The Whole Story is that on the other side of forgiveness(holiness), is also being honest with God about what’s broken and asking Him to make you whole. Nothing missing, nothing broken. You may be a forbearing Christian with wisdom and spiritual maturity to pray for the thug that just robbed you blind. That will not change the fact that you now stand in an empty house in need of restoration. By the Holy Spirit, you could see with compassion the scared and angry addict that just shot you and hold a posture of forgiveness, but you still need a triage unit.
As a sin-repenting, Jesus believing Christian, you have been forgiven. But sis, that is not The Whole Story. It is only the beginning. You walked away from that altar forgiven, robed in righteousness. You did not walk away without your afflicted flesh. Don’t stifle the beautiful relationship with God and the work of the Holy Spirit by cutting yourself short, or getting stuck, at religious requirements. Don’t forfeit the relationship he made sure you were forgiven to receive. God is not glorified by slapping a legalistic bandaid on gaping holes. What good is it if we’ve forgiven our offender or if we are only forgiven if we don’t do the work of properly dressing the wounds? Forgiveness and healing. Holy and whole. Righteousness and relationship. The purpose of the cross was not only to bring you into right-standing but to restore you unto glory.
The mandate in The Lord’s Prayer to forgive is not to cancel out your sin but to learn the heart of God. The same grace received, the same grace extended. Every human in his image, only one enemy. To fully believe the Gospel. One sacrifice for ALL sin. One Savior as your kinsman-redeemer. It’s time for ST(spiritual therapy). Let’s seek out the holes in our souls and walk towards The Whole Story, together.
