Do you want to be made whole? (IV) Inner healing

Perhaps one of the most neglected areas of teaching in the church, has to do with what is available in the atonement in terms of mental, emotional and spiritual healing, in terms of healing of the soul. In an incredible Old Testament prophecy of what would be available (Isaiah 53), we read “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (verse 6). What I want to say first, is that since we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7), then going our own way has consequences not only for ourselves, but also for those we love . In spite of the accusations that God does nothing, there is One in the world (Holy Spirit), who is actually, at some level, restraining evil. So if we see what we see with that restraint still in place, imagine what it will be like when He is taken out (2 Thessalonians 2:6-12).

In fact as predicted (2 Timothy 3:1-7), even with the Restrainer in place, society is getting sicker and sicker, and reaping what is being sown. That’s the bad news, the good news is that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil; He came to heal the brokenhearted; to set the captives free; to initiate the divine exchange taking our sin and giving us His righteousness; giving beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning; a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61: 1-4; 1 John 3:8). And all this it is available in the atonement, since “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” In other words in the cross Jesus not only made physical healing available, He made soulish healing available too.

There’s a reason that the market is flooded with self-help books, and that is that at least some part of society has come to the conclusion that we need to take responsibility for becoming whole. And a lot of it (though by no means all of it) is solid, and gives good advice. But as I said earlier, principles are not enough, and part of this is that many times we know what to do but don’t have the wherewithal to do it. The good news here, is that when we fully surrender to Him, He works in us both in our desires, and in the wherewithal to do what is good (Philippians 2:12, 13). His help however, is only available when we fully return to the Shepherd and guardian of our souls (Psalm 23:1; 1 Peter 2:25).

Father, it only struck me this morning, that the above quote from 1 Peter itself quotes the already quoted verse “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). And I want to thank You this morning Lord for all that You have made available in the work of our Lord Jesus on the cross. It is indeed available, but like physical healing it’s not automatic. Part of this, is that we are in a war to the death with the enemy of our souls. But as I meditate upon these things this morning Father, something rises up within me, a determination that with Your help, no matter what the cost, no matter what the difficulty, I will contend for and pursue, everything that was paid for at Calvary. In Jesus Name Amen