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Guest Corner
Joyce Stevens
WHOLE
by Joyce Stevens
The Noah Webster
1828 dictionary defines whole as being entire, complete, not defective or
imperfect. Unbroken, restored to health or well.
1 Thessalonians
5:23 – 24 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. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
The Greek word
for whole is holokleros: which means: complete in all its parts, in no part
lacking or unsound, complete, entire, whole:
It indicates
that every grace present in Christ should be manifested in the believer.
Over the past
few years I have come to the realization that as a child of God I live far
beneath the standards set in the Word of God for my life. And I have to ask
myself, why, not that I would live in condemnation but to challenge me that I
might grow and be changed.
We do have to
ask God to change us. And I might add, don’t ask if you don’t want change. As
for me I desire and have a passion to develop a deeper relationship with God and
in the understanding of His truth. I want Him to revive or to make alive the
truth of His Word that I might walk in wholeness and in the promises and
blessings of that truth.
Revival is not
something that comes to a church. It is birthed in the heart of the church
(believer) by revelation knowledge from the Spirit of God of their need to come
up higher in him.
This knowledge
comes through revelation, by his Spirit through His word to our spirit.
As I have
studied and meditated on walking in wholeness I have discovered several truths
in God’s word that will help me attain that goal. My prayer is as we apply this
truth we will all walk in the wholeness God intends for us to live in.
Romans 8:14 for
as many as are led by the spirit of God; they are the sons of God.
John 8:32 and
you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.
3 John 2 – 4
beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even
as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and
testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I
have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Galatians 5: 1
stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ had made us free, and be
not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
The scripture in
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 refers to our spirit, soul and body. We are a spirit,
we have a soul and we live in a body. God has not left anything out; He cares
about all of us and desires us to be whole.
Spirit: this is
the place God dwells, sometimes referred to as the heart.
Soul: consists
of our mind, our will and our emotions, the invisible part of man, the seat of
personality, that which he perceives, reflects, feels, desires.
Body: the
flesh, the material organism animated by the soul and spirit.
Whole: complete
in every part, perfectly sound, entire.
We know that
when we become born again, we receive Christ as our Savior and His Spirit comes
to dwell in our spirit.
As we feed our
spirit man on the Word of God; our spirit man is strengthened by the truth of
the Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit we bring our soul and body into
subjection to the Word of God. This process is called sanctification. This is
not a one time event, a one time happening that has an impact on our life but it
is a process which is a series of events that produce a result and continues as
long as we live.
When we are
faithful to do our part, which is to read and apply God’s Word daily, He will be
faithful to do His part which will bring that revelation knowledge by the Holy
Spirit into our spirit and produce the result. We will walk in wholeness,
complete in all its parts, in no part lacking or unsound, complete and entire.
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