I have never been one to go to the doctor often, except for mandatory physicals over the years. I actually don't even have a physician. I have only went to the hospital a few times when I couldn't stand throwing up anymore or itching because of a rash. Over the last few years I did have a few appointments with a skin doctor to have my moles examined but I didn't show up for the follow-up to get the results. I do know that it is wise to be examined in order to catch the spread of possible diseases. I just choose to ignore wisdom and believe everything will be okay as I walk in blind faith, what I need is a balance between faith and common sense.
I take my spiritual health much more seriously I meet monthly with experienced leaders who I am accountable to and I have credibility through. I believe by doing this I am ahead of the game, I am able through their experience correct things in my life before they grow and I am able to be prepared for the things I may face ahead.
In Leviticus 13 it talks about how to deal with skin disease. The individual is brought to the priest to examine the condition and see how affected the rash has become. If the affected area is only skin deep the person will only go through a short period of quarantine and if the disease does not spread the person is pronounced ceremonially clean. Now if the skin disease develops to something more serious and has spread and become an open sore the person must tear their clothes, leave their hair uncombed, cover their mouth and call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'. As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean and must live in isolation from the rest of the camp.
Certain sins have different effects, some sin we can easily get free from while other sin seem to be more difficult. When I got saved certain things left me, I no longer had the desire for them, these were surface sins. While other sin would be harder to shake, it seems that no matter how many times I asked God to forgive me, I repeated the same sin. These are deeply rooted sins. The born-again experience is like buying a new field. God the new owner of my heart wants to uproot my worldly ways and plant His righteousness within me. The surface sins are easy to clear while the deep sins that are brought on because of hurt and pain go deep and need special attention.
If wounds are not bandaged up they become infectious and spread throughout the body. Hurting people hurt people. One bad apple can spoil a bunch. When a wounded individual is placed in leadership and they were not thoroughly examined much division can take place. Many times anyone who seems to be available is used and it can cause much more damage than good.
Each ministry needs to have in place proper training where each individual is processed through and proven to be healed and whole before they participate in leadership. The goal is not to get rid of those found in habitual sin but to lead them through a process of restoration. So they will be ones who unite the body not divide it. Hurting people operate in the flesh and manifest the works of the flesh, Healed people operate in the spirit and manifest the fruits of the spirit. Each believer needs to be placed where their works can be properly examined by a proven leader in a position that has little interaction with others so sin doesn't spread. Even when we are found to be free of our past as long as we have flesh and blood we are prone to sin and need to continue to have regular examinations by proven Godly leaders.
Read Leviticus 13, Gal. 6:1-3, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 38, Gal. 5: 16-26, Jer. 8:18-22, 1 Cor. 11:31-32,
No comments:
Post a Comment