by Mark Camino

 

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jer 8:22)

From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness - only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. (Is 1:6)
  

Often when we share what God has revealed to us about the current reformation, transitions, simple church, old wineskin church etc., it can appear to some that we are bitter, critical or ministering out of a wounded spirit.

Many times I observe this is not the case but an opinion expressed by those who have traveled a journey and through revelation have heard the voice of the Spirit, eg:

“Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord” (Is 52:11) 

your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “this is the way, walk in it.” (Is 30:21)

or, through observation, experienced various frustrations and disillusionment.

As we share some of our experiences (church structures, hierarchical authority, financial abuses etc.) it can seem we are critical. This can be the case, but generally we are speaking out of that which was unpleasant and some of our religious practices that have been detestable in the Fathers sight and we now confess to this. Because some of our past has been of a negative nature, our recollections and subsequent conversations can appear critical.

Just because at times we have drunk from a contaminated source or eaten a bitter fruit doesn’t make us completely contaminated or bitter, just that now we have tasted and seen that what the Lord is doing is good and desire others to avoid the corruption and embrace the new/now thing.

In the natural, a simple, almost childlike understanding tells us that physical wounds need to be exposed to the fresh air for healing purposes. A wound that is bound up and not exposed will stay too moist and basically rot. An undressed wound will become infected.

If I share with my children the pain and anguish I experienced when I had an infected wound it’s not necessarily that I am bitter about the experience, but rather that I want them to avoid the same fate.

In a spiritual sense, wounds (bad experiences, detestable practices, religious patterns etc) need to be uncovered to allow for healing. We expose our ‘wounds’ to the Father first, not to everyone else in an unhealed, critical manner. At a later time we may reveal things about the wound to others, not to offend but rather to expose a pattern, program or life experience not to be repeated and a path not to be traveled.

In Matthew Jesus says:

“Every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house that brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old”. (Matt 13:52)

Old treasures can be the (good and not so good) experiences we have had under an old wineskin, yet should be shared with the new for a complete picture.

It would seem the things God is revealing to us are not evident to all. This doesn’t mean we are holier than they are, but God is calling some to blaze a trail, to prophetically grab a hold of some things of the kingdom and release them for all time. Others will follow in this obvious freedom. Another generation is and others will be birthed immediately into this new wineskin and God has waited for such a time as this. God can be glorified through the old wineskin, but a more excellent way has come.

 

Why do we expose wounds? Part 2

It’s interesting to note that in a biological look at healing of wounds in the human body there is a God ordained pattern that takes place for rapid and ongoing healthy healing. The healing process is dependent upon a variety of cells being released in a particular sequence to fulfill their role and for maximum wound strength to be achieved.

A brief study of wound healing provides some striking parallels between the healing process, (what optimizes healing and what hinders it) and in the boundaries of God’s kingdom what enhances spiritual healing. Let me quote from various sections of an article titled “Wound Healing, Chronic Wounds” by Alina Sholar, MD Staff Physician, Dept. of Surgery, University of Louisville.

“Wound healing is a dynamic pathway that optimally leads to restoration of tissue integrity and function.
Chronic wound results when the normal reparative process is interrupted.
By understanding the biology of wound healing, the physician can optimize the tissue environment in which the wound is present.
Healing pathways are set into motion at the point of wounding. Wound healing is the result of the accumulation of processes.”

As you meditate on the above, you can see some similarities between healing that takes place in our bodies and healing that needs to take place after offence or wounding. For example, spiritual healing is a pathway that leads to our proper function and integrity. Chronic wounding can occur in our spirits when the normal reparative process is interrupted. Spiritual healing can be set into motion at the point of wounding. Spiritual healing is the result of a God ordained process.

It is natural to be critical after offence/wounding has occurred, but this is neither healthy nor fitting for the saints of God. The goal is to stay sweet in our spirits. Jesus could honestly say from the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” He was completely innocent, yet completely forgiving and completely free to enter into the fullness of glory. We must have this same heart even when ‘they know what they do.’
When Jesus gave us the beatitudes, he was not just telling us how to be good little Christians but was giving us spiritual keys and warfare principles to apply, bringing us into the victory.

The following 7 actions and attitudes, when applied in humility, bring great healing from damaged wounds, and are found in Matt. chapters 5 & 6, Luke 6:23-38,and also in 1 Peter 3:8-4:19.

1. Prayer
 Prayer, our intimacy with the Father, must under gird everything.

2. Forgiveness
We ask God to forgive others for what has taken place, but also to forgive us as we have almost certainly done the same thing in the past.

3. Blessings
We ask God from our heart to bless them, their families, their situations etc. We pour blessings on their lives.

4. Praise/Thanksgiving
We give God lots of praise, lots of thanks. “I will extol the Lord at all times, His praise will always be on my lips.”

5. Joy
The joy of the Lord is our strength. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice!” A cheerful heart is good medicine.

6. Good works
We must continue to do well; we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works and to maintain our integrity.

7. Love
Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of (wounds) sins. Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

I am not advocating that the above has to be done in this order, but rather there are specific God ordained essential ingredients that cannot be left out of the mix, order is not necessarily important.

“Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.”  (Ecc. 8:5-6)

When we exercise the above we are in a real place to take authority over any offences, accusations, negativity, spirits etc. and break the enemy’s power. The temptation, when we hear of accusations, gossips etc. against us is to jump up and attempt to break its power. I have found dynamic success through humbly and intentionally following God’s path for healing.

The question remains – are we critical or concerned?

As we have life exchange with people, what will be the message of our lips, our lives?
Do we sow seeds of criticism, negativity or are we concerned with the kingdom?
We have all had experiences that would leave us critical. Do we follow on in the way of flesh or spirit?

I have witnessed that one of the most destructive and crippling attitudes we can have is a critical spirit. Some of its fruit is un-forgiveness, criticism of others, numbness to the things of God, lack of the nine fruit of the spirit. It’s like drinking poison and expecting someone else to get sick!

A good check for us is to observe what we speak, for Jesus said out of our mouths come words of life and death, and from the heart flow the issues of life. If there is any offence, criticism in us, it will be obvious in our conversations. They should also be obvious as we search the deep recesses of our heart in the light of God’s Spirit.

Mark Camino

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Reformation/ Revival, Prayer / Worship, Living Christianity, Other Biblical Topics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.