Wholeness, the Process of being Complete and Perfect by Roger Roth Sr.

“Wholeness, the Process of being Complete and Perfect” by Roger Roth Sr.

Wholeness and health are often interchangeable within scripture. To have mental, physical and emotional health is a process of wholeness. To be whole is to be complete, perfect, nothing missing.

Wholeness is the Rest of God in the ability to have peace in the midst of turmoil. In rest, we cease from the labor caused by frustration, anxiety, stress, obligation, and fear. In rest, we stop trying to work things out to bring a desired result and instead walk in the reassurance that the Lord has things under control and will work for us and in us to produce what is best. Of course, this is much easier said than done, it requires us to be willing to allow Him to make some significant internal adjustments.

Peace and trust are the foundation pillars of rest. Without these pillars, there can be no continual climate of rest. I would define peace as the cessation of the disorder of the soul. When your emotions, thoughts and reactions are continually in charge of your waking moments there is no peace, or rest only a constant inner turmoil. This is almost always a result of facing the unknown or the fear that accompanies the pressure of an unpleasant situation.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken; Ps 62:1,2. If we want to locate the place of rest, it can only be found in God. It cannot be found in efforts to change the world outside of ourselves. This is how most try to find rest and peace, outside of God. Perhaps they are in a stressful situation. Life does not seem to be progressing as they would like. Maybe their finances are strapped. Possibly they are unfulfilled in their relationships.

Their soul seeks comfort in efforts to change their circumstances. They may change jobs. They may look for new spiritual experiences apart from Jesus. They may project the turmoil of their life on others and separate unto themselves. I’m sure we all know people who have even picked stakes up and moved to a faraway place in the hope that in totally changing their surroundings they might escape the emotional and natural chaos of their life.

What usually happens? After a brief time, they see that the issues from which they were trying to escape have followed them to their new surroundings, clinging to them like an incessant parasite. They begin to long for familiar places and places to bring some sort of stability to their lives. Often, they return to their previous life as broken as when they left. Why? Simply because they have not learned how to look within and allow the Lord to bring the healing He has promised. They seek to blame others (family members, employers, their church, the government, even God) for the pain in their life. Their soul has not learned to magnify the Lord but magnifies self and their spirit does not rejoice in God their savior.

We all desire to live in the Rest of God, to be at continual peace but even the most God directed among us, struggle from time to time in making that a continual reality. Let’s look at Jesus for a moment. He is always the perfect example. Would you agree that Jesus was always in peace and at rest? I would think if He is called the Prince of Peace, then He must possess the rule of peace in His life.

Was the world around Jesus one of peace? The cruelty of Roman rule, the constant attack of religious spirits, the oppression of local authorities, the harshness of a rural life, the skepticism of those around Him who could not appreciate His love for them, the rejection of family and friends not to mention the eventual turmoil of His last week.

I think it would be safe to say that the world around Jesus was not one of peace but one of tribulation. Yet He was at peace, living in rest. He never exhibits fear. He is never in a hurry. He never tries to run away from difficult situations but confronts them in the power of the Spirit. He never becomes critical of His followers, even when they abandon Him but continually reaches out in love. He never repays evil with evil but only with good.

He rests in the Father. He is in love with the Father, He is in love with His followers and He loves the world. And He tells us that we can be exactly as He is, that power has been granted unto us!

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world; Jn 6:33. Peace is only found within, in Him and cannot be found in the world. If you try to control your natural world to establish peace, it will never happen. Things may improve for a time, but lasting peace will be fleeting. We need to understand Jesus’ words; in me you may have peace. The key of course is learning to be in Him and more than anything that requires trust.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid; Jn 14:27. How does the world give peace? By seeking to change the chaos of their environment. How does God give peace? By conforming your inner man, your soul, to His will and truth.

Ok, so why do most not live and walk in the rest of God? The kind of rest in which we are continually free from the pressures (tribulation) of life; anxiety, frustration, fear, stress and chaos? I think it is because we lack wholeness. We are wounded and have not learned or perhaps even sought spiritual healing that would bring wholeness and liberate us from spiritual

immaturity that elevates the desires of the soul over the longing of the spirit.

If we need healing, then what is the remedy? It is found in Rest, in acquiring and demonstrating belief peace, trust.

1. Belief: You cannot receive what you don’t believe in accordance with the truth of God. If you do not believe that God loves you, you cannot receive the love of God. If you believe that you are unworthy of His love, you will always live-in smaller measure of that love. If you focus on and succumb to, the fears, frustrations, and turmoil of life you cannot believe in God’s provision to deliver you from that lifestyle. Do you believe you can live in continual rest and transformational peace?

2. Peace: Jesus promised peace, do you believe His promise? Do you understand that there is a place in God that provides full peace, and that this peace will require your healing? If you look outside instead of within you can never find this peace; it is only found in Him. Many great men and women within Christianity have never witnessed the fulness of Jesus’ promised peace because of their inability or willingness to allow God to bring full healing to the soul.

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing shall offend them (cause them to stumble); Ps 119:165. A life free from offense is a life at total peace. Great peace comes from those that love (submit to and reverence) the rule (law) of God in their lives. There is nothing that can offend them or cause them to stumble outwardly in their speech or actions toward others or inwardly by holding on to resentment or frustration.

Trust: 3. Do you believe it is possible for you to have complete trust in God? Not only in word but in action. Most of us would probably say that we trust God, that He cares for us, that we can be assured He wants to help us etc. Complete trust is quite another thing. To trust also requires healing. When someone has let us down or perhaps, at least in our opinion, treated us wrongly it is difficult to trust that person. Even if someone did not intentionally fail us but was not there when we really needed them, it is hard to trust.

We can all trust God for “good things” perhaps a job or a new friend or help in a situation, or for some other blessing because even if we do not receive the things we hope for it has not caused any significant loss to us. However, can you trust God in all things even those things that cause loss?

Can you trust Him when you lose that job and now you have no idea of how you will support your family? Can you trust God when you are diagnosed with a debilitating sickness with no prognosis that it will improve? Can you trust God when the earthquakes of life seem to come at you all at once? Can you trust God when someone close to you meets with a terminal illness and dies? Can you trust God when people close to you separate and seemingly abandon you?

When the answers to life’s difficult situations come it brings a release and a certain peace but can we have that peace and rest during those trials? Rest and peace is dependent on trust and trust comes as we receive spiritual healing.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you; Is 26:3

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus; Phil 4:6-7. Be anxious for nothing require trust and healing. One of the avenues for obtaining this trust and healing is through prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace; James 3:18. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Rm 14:17. To receive peace you must be open to seeking peace with others as well as with yourself and you must be open to allowing God to give you complete healing (wholeness).

When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming, your comfort encourages me; Ps 94:19. These anxious inner thoughts do not have to be a constant part of your life. The comfort that encourages us comes through healing, (wholeness). This healing is available to all but not all seek it. This healing only comes through surrender and the knowledge of how to surrender. So sadly, we all know individuals who for years and sometimes an entire lifetime, hold on to their pain, not even understanding the root of that pain.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For all our talk about the Kingdom, if we do not possess peace, we do not possess the Kingdom. The evidence that the Kingdom of God has come unto you, is your Righteousness (right thinking leading to right action), your Peace (continuous tranquility through the cessation of the frustration and ignorance of the soul) and Joy (overwhelming rest, confidence, and a sense of wellbeing). Is this your experience? If not, it is available and a promise for you.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you; 1 Pt. 1:2. Once again we are given a promise of peace. Grace and peace are not static. You can have life but then you can also experience abundant life. You can have grace but then you can also have great grace and you can have peace but then you can also have perfect peace! The decision is yours.

For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His; Heb. 4:10. Rest comes through a cessation of labor. This means that we no longer do a work for God. What, we no longer do a work for God? That is right. We no longer do a work for God; we do the work of God. You see the former is found in our efforts and the reasoning of the soul where the latter is found in His will. Rest and Peace? It is your choice, but it will only be found in your healing.

Sometimes we may struggle for years in discovering the healing that will free us to receive the abundant life that Jesus promised to us. We may not even be able to identify what lays at the heart of our pain or why we seem to be willing to hang on to it rather than releasing it to God. There may be numerous reasons for this, but it is important to realize the truth of the adage, “no man is an island.”

The Apostle Paul wrote, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. This is not, as many think about taking communion with sin in your life. It is about not recognizing or valuing the Lord’s Body (the Body of believers). Some are sick and some have even died because the answer to their condition could have come through the Body. Don’t let pain or pride separate you from the instrument of God provision.

Wherever you find yourself, if the rest and peace of God seem to be allusive, know that it is available and waiting for you. It is your right and His promise. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Roger Roth Sr. is a ministry son of Dr. Mark Hanby. Together with his wife Karen, they are the set ministry of a local church in Northeastern Wisconsin, and oversee the Bloodline Network Newsletter. They consider it an honor to work with Dr. Hanby for many years, helping to oversee the ministry of Papa Mark’s extended family—”The Father’s Heart.”

      Any questions or comments please contact them at rogerandkaren@live.com