Luke 17:11 - 19
“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

How many of those men do you think felt tremendous gratitude as they walked away from Jesus, completely healed of their incurable, disgusting socially isolating disease? There's no question about it-all ten did. But how many came back, threw themselves at Jesus' feet, and thanked him, and was made whole?

Just one.

They all received the outward cure; only one received a spiritual blessing: wholeness (verse 19).

Luke 17:19
“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Just like the lepers we can receive a healing, but the one leper knew what it was like to be made whole.

The nine thought they were whole. At least they were not suffering like they use to. Their skin healed up, and I believe their deformities from the leprosy were also healed. Yet, the nine had no idea what it really was like to be totally and completely whole.

How can one be completely whole without the Master's touch? We can't! We can't be whole on our own; we need a Savior to make us whole.

The one who came back to thank Jesus was thankful, humble, and broken all at the same time. He shouted praises to Jesus and fell on his face at Jesus' feet. This was brokenness in action.

Leprosy is progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes.

Ten lepers were healed of leprosy, but only one was healed of spiritual leprosy. Why didn't the others go back and show their thankfulness?

Was it because of…
Pride?
Were they too self-centered wanting to go back to their families, their jobs, and their lives?

How simple it would have been to go and thank Jesus, the One who healed them of their disease and deformities.

Why did the one go back and thank Jesus?
He was truly thankful and wanted to show his gratefulness.
He recognized who Jesus was and he couldn't help but show it outwardly

Do you think he knew he would be healed from his spiritual leprosy just by saying and showing his thankfulness? No, but what an awesome benefit for a thankful heart.

Another example is the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment.

Mark 5:25 - 34
“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

She was an outcast by this time, as women who were on their monthly were sent out of the city for the week because they were considered “unclean.”

She constantly bled. She constantly was unclean. She was an outcast, and I am sure was scorned by society. How do you think she felt? I believe she felt insecure. She felt she had no value or future. All her hope was gone. Yet she pressed in, through the crowd, and touched someone. This act alone was forbidden by anyone who was bleeding. She didn't care. She went against society and the law to receive her healing. The woman was broken and fell at Jesus' feet.

She also received an extra blessing of being made whole. I believe this was not only a physical healing, but an emotional and spiritual healing as well.

In these two examples, neither of them knew they needed to be spiritually whole; they just had a need to go to Jesus.

Jesus is the only One who can make us whole.

Wholeness.

To be whole is instantaneous and yet a process all at the same time. We were all born sinners yet we are whole because of what Christ did on the cross. With me, wholeness seemed impossible as I was looking at the mess I caused in my life. I didn't know how to take a step forward to become whole and healthy again. I wanted to give up, and almost did by committing suicide. But God had a plan. He lovingly showed me areas in my life that needed change.

There are so many pieces to the puzzle that God is working on to bring wholeness in your life.

Brokenness is the door to Wholeness.

Being broken allows you to seek the One Who can bring healing and wholeness. When you are broken your pride is gone. You've given God control and this opens the door for God to move in your heart and life. Wholeness is a process for sure as true wholeness doesn't happen over night. Salvation happens in an instant and you're forgiven completely. This is wholeness to your soul, but your spirit and mind need to be healed completely.

Wholeness means:

a. Not wounded, injured; sound or unhurt, not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact.
b. Having been restored; healed.
c. To save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): - heal, preserve, do well, be or make whole. (Whole: G4982 (Strongs Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)
Whole"ness/, n. The quality or state of being sound; complete.

Wholeness truly is restoration in the body, mind, and spirit.

Wholeness allows you to…
1. Hold your head up high without shame or pain of your past.
2. Walk in boldness of who you are and what God has called you to do.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows the areas in you that need changed and rearranged to bring completeness in your life.

What areas can you think that you need God to change or touch in your life?

Family?
How you perceive yourself?
Relationships?
Finances?
Your mind?
Emotions?
Self-worth?
?

God has the power to bring healing into all these areas. The key is to go to Him humbly and let Him.

There are many pieces to the puzzle God is working on to bring wholeness.

It is easy to get impatient because you might not be able to see the change taking place, but it is.

There were so many factors that brought me to the end of myself. I talked about them yesterday. Those are the ones that I saw, but there were so many I didn't even know about.

Areas He made whole in my life…
1. Family
2. Fear of man
3. Shame
4. Self-worth
5. Mental stability
6. Prayer life
7. Ministry
8. A heart to please God
9. An ear to listen to God's voice
10. Where ever I was lacking

What are the steps to wholeness? Every person is different. I have found steps I took to become whole in my own life. Here is what I've learned:

12 Steps Wholeness:

1. Realize you need God.
2. Give God control of your life.
3. Brokenness
4. Find the secret place

With me, I found my secret place in prayer daily with God. I wrote about this in my book, “The Garbage man Always comes on Fridays.” Here is part of what I wrote:

“At first, he seemed distant. I knew he was around, but was not as near as I'd like him to be. After a few times, it was as if he walked up to me and stroked my hair while I was lying on my face. My heart leaped. He was there! At that moment, I cried and cried from deep within me. Every time the Lord comes, I weep. His presence is overwhelming. I need him so desperately, daily. If I was unable to spend time with the Lord in the morning, a few hours later, I'd get an ache in my heart to want to be with Him. This ache would not go away, but increase and become bigger and stronger. It made me go to my secret place. After being with the Lord, I could go throughout my day in a better mindset. It's best to meet with Jesus first, before meeting with anyone else. God showed me how to be with him continually. I Thessalonians 5:17 states, “Pray without ceasing,…” The secret place with the Lord is in your heart, every moment of every day. We can talk to God always, and he always listens.
When I'm home, I can cry out to God with my emotions in my secret place. It allows me to vent and get all my frustrations out. We must remember we have the Lord with us always! The Lord longs to be included in all we go through and everything we do. I used to preach on this, but to really live it and experience it on a constant basis, is a totally different thing. I am thankful for my failure in that it brought me closer to my Savior. I've found my secret place with him. I'm not forgotten. In fact, I'm embraced and loved in this precious place daily.”

5. Confess all the Garbage
6. Yield to the correction of God - refining fire stage
7. Be open to change (Of attitudes, actions, mindsets etc…)
8. Release your past - Your past does not define what your future will be.
9. Forgive yourself and others
10. Don't listen to lies
11. Believe and walk as a new person
       a.  You are forgiven
       b.  God has a hope and a future for your life
       c.  Hold your head up high
12. Fall in love with the One who is making you whole.
My entire book,  is a book about wholeness. It shows the process God took me through.
My book and Brokenness CD go hand in hand.

Where are you right now? Do you want to be made whole? To what extent are you willing to go to receive the touch from the Master to bring your healing. Are you willing to press in past your pride? Do you need to give God control? Don't leave today the same way you came in. Today is a day for change and getting on the right path.

Today is a day for new beginnings.

Blessings,

Kris