It seems that there are so many saints in the Body of Christ living well below the level of victory that has been provided for them. We become so focused on what God has done for us that we fail to recognize what He wants to do in us next, tomorrow or next month or next year. At that point, we have stopped the progression of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and stunted our spiritual growth.
We have settled for being cleansed but not advanced to the place of wholeness. Cleansing is good, and it is necessary. However, if we desire sustained victory over our enemy, we cannot achieve it without being made whole.
To be cleansed means that you have been made clean or purified. Something, or someone, can be clean but still cracked. Sometimes, we as Christians get dirty and stained. But we are fortunate in that we know how to get ourselves washed up and get the stains out. We can clean up time after time. Eventually, though, continued washing will wear away the foundation and substance of a vessel if it remains cracked.
Now, to be whole means that you are unbroken or complete. That doesn’t mean that we won’t pick up a little dirt from time to time. But it does mean that the dirt will not destroy us. It means that while we are consistently requiring a fresh cleansing, our foundation and our substance remain intact. We are whole, complete.
You can receive cleansing and still not be whole. This equates to confession without repentance, the crucifixion without the resurrection. Why would you stop with something good when you can go on to something greater and end up right in the middle of God’s best?
A fitting example of this halted progression is the story of the ten lepers found in St. Luke, chapter 17. Upon reading the passage, it does not specify that any of the lepers were not healed or cleansed. Indeed, all ten were healed and cleansed by the power of the spoken Word of Jesus Christ. But, make no mistake. There is a failure in the process here.
You see, once Jesus had seen the lepers and acknowledged their condition, He directed them to go and show themselves to the priests as legal proof of their cleansing. The scripture tells us that as they were going down the road, they were healed. They were healed as they went. He did not touch them or even wave His hand over them. Their simple obedience to His Word caused the healing to manifest as they walked.
As they went and were cleansed, no doubt they all shouted and celebrated. All of them but one allowed their shout to get their focus off the source of their cleansing. Don’t let your shout distract you from God’s purpose. We can achieve victory and still miss God, all while shouting.
Here we have the separation in the process. Nine of the lepers continued down the path to the priests as directed. You must give them credit. They were obedient. Since their request for mercy had been answered, why would they do anything other than what they were told?
So, the nine lepers went on their merry way to do as ordered. When Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, they did just that: they went and showed themselves. They forgot the one who made their healing possible. Anytime we fail to recognize God as the source of anything good in our lives, we open the door for pride to come in and make a fool out of us. No doubt, they received plenty of publicity once their cleansing was confirmed. The story became all about them instead of being all about Jesus.
The one leper that they left behind had the correct response. We know that 1 Samuel 15:22 says that obedience is better than sacrifice. So, you obey before anything else, right?
Don’t get this twisted. This leper did obey the Word of the Lord. The Bible tells us that he was healed as he went. But when he realized that he was healed, or cleansed, his focus turned from the priests back to Jesus. He was no longer concerned with reaching the priests. In his heart, thanking the healer was more important than showing off his healing.
That same separation is prevalent in the lives of so many of us today. We receive some sort of miracle at the hands of the Lord and we want to camp out at the memory of that miracle. Sometimes we can allow our testimony to hold us back from the next step in God’s plan and purpose for our lives. We can be so consumed with what he did for us, that we basically ignore what He wants to do right now.
When the man turned back to worship the healer, Jesus asked him about the other nine lepers. He had no response because he had decided not to follow them, instead choosing to follow his healer. Jesus then told him that his faith had made him whole. The man was no longer dirty, cracked, and incomplete. He was now clean and completely whole. He was no longer a leper, but a man of God.
The nine lepers were cleansed but were not made whole because they did not give glory to God. Even though they were physically moving and obeying His Word, they spiritually stopped their own progression. Once they received what they asked for, their eyes turned from Him. They were clean but still cracked.
It is nearly impossible to maintain your cleansing without wholeness. That’s why so many people come to church, profess Christ, go home and fall back into the sin they were just forgiven for. Confession with no repentance. They were cleansed but did not allow themselves to become whole. They got the quick fix but didn’t stick around for the total transformation. Don’t allow yourself to stop just short of God’s best for you.
Any time you obtain a victory through Jesus, don’t stop and camp out in that happy place. Don’t get trapped in the memories of past victories, healings, and moves of God. Instead, you should begin to look ahead to what He has in store for you next. What victories lie ahead? What mighty moves of God still lie ahead? A victory doesn’t mean it’s over. It simply means, we have made it this far by faith and we will keep on keeping on by the grace of God. Just because He did something wonderful for you, doesn’t mean He’s finished. The best is yet to come. Don’t stop at the good thing. Go for the best thing!
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