Wholeness and Health
Diane Holladay
As those who love God and are called according to His purpose, we desire His wholeness for us and the health that comes from living His word in our spirit, soul, and body. Our foundation is His Word. When we miss the fullness of His word living through us, we can experience the need for healing. Most relate the need for healing to issues in the physical body that can be addressed by prayer and medical physicians. In this article, I will briefly outline the components of health and wholeness that are important in our journey with Him in His creation, covering:
- What is wholeness?
- Consequences of straying from his Word
- Our journey back to health
What is Wholeness?
What does wholeness mean to you?
Wholeness starts with the God of all.
John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Genesis 1:1-3: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’
Romans 11:36: For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
And we were created in His image:
Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. …So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them.So, all was created through Him and in Him (for there is nothing else). He is the father of our birthright:
Ephesians 4:6: One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in all.
Just as God has free will, He has given us free will also, along with his guidance and a clear summary:
Matthew 22:37-40: And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”Consequences of Straying from His Word
We know our history: Our free choices have led to all falling short of the glory of God, and ever worse, separation from God. Yet God.
Jeremiah 32:27: I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
And those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have been rescued from that separation by His intense love in spirit, soul, and body. Our spirits are saved, but our soul must work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Have you ever wondered why we must work out our salvation when our spirit is saved?
Romans 12:2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
To summarize many more scriptures and to include what science has learned so far about God’s design, our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions directly impact our body. And when our body starts to manifest symptoms of dis-ease, it can impact our thoughts and emotions. At that point we can start spinning out of control.
Our thoughts and emotions are part of our soul, and our soul is our connection between our spirit and the physical world we live in. So, our spirit is aligned with God, but we need to exercise our free will to bring our soul and body into the alignment of abundant life that God intended us to live. And that process is a training camp in how to be governors, lords, and kings.
Revelation 19:16: And on His robe and on His thigh a name was written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
2 Timothy 2:12: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.
Revelation 5:9-10: And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation; and have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on earth.
In my journey back to alignment, I have found we often pray for God to fix our problems, and we don’t take responsibility for our free choice in our soul and body. One day we can start over with the new heaven and new earth, but our current state requires our training so we know how to govern a new heaven and new earth according to God’s design, including our free will. Using a disease parallel, if we are given an organ transplant, what changes have we made with our whole being that will give abundant life to this new organ rather than the disfunction that led to our current organ needing to be replaced? Learning to govern our free will involves being intentional about aligning our thoughts, emotions, and physical lives so they bring the abundant life God intended. That is a lesson in governing, starting with ourselves.
Hopefully you have come to believe that many people have visions from God, for it is abundantly clear in the Bible. Of course, we need to test them to ensure they line up with His Word, or the spirit of His Word (if all Jesus spoke was written down, there would be no room to contain it). Sometimes God can make his message very vivid to us, as He did years ago when a group of us sought the desire on His heart at that time. What we saw in the spirit was a vision of a woman in a hospital bed ministering to an unsaved visitor. This visitor was a man sitting in a chair and leaning on the side of her sickbed. He had chains on his wrists and was getting prayer from the woman in the sick bed so that he could be released from his chains and be saved. The knowing that we received from the Lord was that He does not want His people ministering from sick beds. He wants them whole, in spirit, soul, and body. It became clear that He does not want the sick healing the sick. He wants us to be healthy in spirit, soul, and body, living the way of life He designed for us, and then we can be effective ministers in the harvest fields with Him.Our Journey Back to Health
Let’s go back to the beginning. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And we know our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions impact our physical body.
Proverbs 4:20-22: My child, pay attention to my words; include your ear to my sayings. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all you’re their flesh.
Another beginning point: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. That means that we need to love ourselves so much that we are secure in our identity and can appreciate Christ’s many-membered body. It’s a great parallel for us.
So how does that compare to our common approach to health issues? Our culture has been to consult a medical doctor, follow their protocol, and ask God to heal us (through prayer). We know that Christ already provided for our healing, and we know we are called to pray.
Isaiah 53:5: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
As there is so much to say on this topic, let me cover a few highlights. Science discovers new revelations over time, confirming God’s design and His Word. The latest discoveries in neuroplasticity and quantum physics continue with that alignment.
What we observe through our belief systems, perspectives, intentions, senses, and cultural norms through our body, soul, and spirit affect what is manifested. We can change. Now is a critical time for us to make changes that align with God’s design, starting with ourselves so we are healthy and have learned self-governing, able to co-labor with Him for broader healing in His creation. Beyond ourselves, we partner with Him to mentor others, grow corporately, and govern for the restoration and well-being of His creation.
We have lightly covered several topics related to wholeness and health, and these just scratch the surface related to what is available for you. We all have opportunities. If you would like more information, you can contact one of our board members, including myself, to join in our collaborative journey as His many-membered body.
Diane Holladay
NW Ekklesia Council
