Harris
Temple Outreach Ministry
Pastor,
Supt. W.K. Ellison
May, 2008
A Complete Renewal (spirit, soul &
body)
Looking diligently lest any man fail of
the grace of God: lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled: (Hebrews
I
was praying one morning and the Lord let my mind go back to the beginning of
the Ministry the Lord has entrusted me to do.
The Ministry began dealing with wounds, rejection, low self-esteem,
forgiveness, openness, and inner healing.
Many young women were healed and delivered. As the Ministry progressed, we moved on to
other subjects. Two months ago, the
Spirit spoke to me and said, “Go back to the basis.” I obeyed and started teaching some of the
original material. The first lesson I
realized the importance of going back.
Since then in talking to different people; I was awaken to the many
issues involving past hurts and pains and how much they are still affecting
them.
Again,
while praying and mediating on the Lord; I opened my Bible to Luke
8:26-36. When I finished reading this
story, my eyes rested on these words in the foot note: the healing of spirit,
soul, and body. This confirmed what the
Lord was saying. As I began to read
about Divine Healing, the Greek word sozo (heal, save, make well or whole), it
triggered something in my mind.
In
this passage of scripture Luke offers a complete picture of Jesus’ concern in
restoring or healing every part of man’s life.
The first thing I noticed; the unclean spirit came out. The second thing, he no longer had to be
bound with chains and in fetters, causing physical pain. Thirdly, he sat at the feet of Jesus in his
right mind.
Today
we may not be bound with natural chains and in fetters, but many more things
can have us bound. I would like to go
back to the opening scripture; Hebrews
A
root of bitterness refers to a spirit and attitude that is characterized by
intense animosity and resentment. Here
it may refer to an attitude of bitter resentment toward God’s discipline
instead of humble submission to His will for our lives. Bitterness can also be directed toward other
people.
Like
a small root that grows into a great tree; bitterness can spring up in our
hearts and overshadow even our deepest relationships. A poisonous root of bitterness comes when we
allow disappointments to grow into resentment, or when we nurse grudges over
past hurts. Bitterness brings with it
jealousy, dissension, and immorality.
Hatred
and bitterness are like weeds with long roots that grow in the heart and
corrupt all of our life. Beware! If we
allow hatred and its resulting bitterness build up in our hearts causing us to
take action, it will finally backfire on us.
If
the mere mention of someone’s name provokes us to anger, we must confess our
bitterness as sin, ignoring bitterness, hiding it from others, or making
superficial changes in behavior is not enough.
If bitterness isn’t completely removed, it will grow back, making
matters worse.
For
example: In a natural plant, the root attaches its self to the soil, therefore
whatever the soil does affect the root.
If the soil is good, the root breaks through the soil and show forth a
sign of life and it brings forth a good production. Contrariwise, if the soil is contaminated by
its environment, the root will be damaged and the plant cannot be
fruitful. The only way to save the
plant is to dig it up from the root, discard all the soil, thoroughly wash the
roots, and plant it again in good soil.
Proverbs
4:23—Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life. I
also like the NLT—Above all else, guard you heart, for it affects everything
you do.
The
heart is the center of the intellect, we consider things in our hearts, imagine
things in our hearts, hide God’s word in our hearts, and believe in our hearts;
etc. All of these actions of the heart
are primarily issues involving the mind.
The
heart is also the center of our emotions.
The scriptures speak about the glad heart, the loving heart, the fearful
heart, the repentant heart, the angry heart, the heavy heart, and the
un-forgiving heart; etc. All of these
actions of the heart are primarily emotional in character.
After
hearing these things about the heart; we can’t afford to let resentment, anger,
unforgiveness, and bitterness take residence in our hearts. Yes there will always be someone that
crosses our paths bringing pain and injustice in our lives, but we can refuse
to let what others do hinder our progress in life. It may sting us, but don’t let it stop us.
The
big question: What if there is already a
root of bitterness in our hearts because of past hurts whereby we are
troubled? Good question. Answer #1—we must forgive the person that
hurt us. Remember forgiveness is an act
of the will. We must choose to
forgive. As long as we hold
unforgiveness in our hearts against that person, they are controlling our
lives. If we choose to forgive, God will
give us strength to do so.
Just
like the roots of the plant had to be washed thoroughly; we must be washed too.
David prayed this prayer in Psalm 51:2—Wash
me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sins.
This
opens our hearts for the Holy Spirit to come in and do a complete renewal of
our spirit, soul, and body. This opens
up an avenue for the Word of God to heal the hurt that caused the root of
bitterness.
Steps for
Healing, Spirit, Soul, and Body
1. Acknowledge the pain and try to
identify the source. One of Satan most destructive weapon is to
put us in a state of denial. He uses our
minds to control our thought pattern. If
we refuse to look at the truth about ourselves we will never be free. Pretense and Repression are two words will
cause us to live a defeated life, bound by the power of misguided perception.
2.
Openness
We
all have some inner emotions or struggles that plague us. We have two options: we face them and deal
with the problem or we deny they exist and stay bound by them. We either carry them every where we go or
acknowledge them and be set free. The
choice is up to us.
3. We have a way out. James
5:16—Confess your faults one to another, (one more) and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of
a righteous man availeth much. Please
pay attention to the scripture. It never
intended for us to broadcast our business.
But it does advise us to tell someone that is trustworthy,
compassionate, understanding, and righteous.
This person’s prayer is effective and availeth much. God bless you. I hope this News Letter will encourage your
hearts, that whatever you face in life: God sees, God cares, and God heals.