Do you want to be made whole?
- Esther J Ponnudorai
- May 9, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: May 27, 2024
John 5:6 | When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been now a long time in that condition, he said unto him, “Do you want to be made whole?”
“Do you want to be made whole?” At first, this seems like a strange question for Jesus to ask a disabled man who sat for decades at a place of healing but who had never experienced transformation. The Bible doesn’t tell us much else about this man because the main point of the story is the question posed by Jesus: “Do you want to be made whole?”
All the power of heaven is in Jesus—He is God in the flesh. Only Jesus can heal, mend, and restore, but He will only do so with our permission. The miracle He performed in this man’s life was of a physical nature, which does have a connection with the healing of his soul.
3 John 1:2, TPT | Beloved friend, I pray that you are prospering (to succeed, to flourish, to grow, to achieve, to thrive) in every way (relationships, marriage, parenthood, finances, career, physical health, joy, peace, security, mindset, attitudes, character) and that you continually enjoy good health, just as your soul is prospering.
John here made an analogy between the condition of our health and the condition of our soul. There is a direct correlation between a healthy soul and a healthy physical body.
What is the soul as revealed in the Bible?
It’s the part of our inner being created by God for the purpose of reflecting and expressing Him. In Luke 1:46-47, Mary sang, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has exulted in God my Saviour.” First, her spirit exulted in God her Saviour. That indicates that she contacted God with her spirit. Then, her soul magnified the Lord, that is, she expressed Him. There is a difference between the soul and spirit of man. Due to man’s fall, both parts–spirit and soul–were severely damaged, losing their God-created function and purpose. This inherited defect of soul, left us with a soul sickness that needs God’s healing through our cooperation.
Our soul is composed of three parts—mind, will and emotion.
Our mind is the part of our soul that knows, considers, and remembers. Psalm 139:14 says, “Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it well.” Lamentations 3:20 says, “My soul remembers them well…”. God gave us a mind to know Him, consider His works; and to understand and remember His Word.
Our will is the part of our soul that makes decisions, chooses, refuses, and seeks. Job 7:15 says “So that my soul would choose…” and Job 6:7 “My soul refuses…”. God gave us a free will so that we could choose Him and His divine will and refuse Satan and the satanic will which is why the Bible ends by saying in Revelation 22:17, “Let him who wills take the water of life freely.”
Our emotion is the part of our soul that expresses love, hatred, joy, grief, and desire. In 1 Samuel 30:6 it says that “the soul of all the people was bitter…” and in Song of Songs 1:7 it says, “you whom my soul loves.” God gave us emotions so that we can love Him and rejoice in Him and hate sin.
How Can the Soul be Healed?
Soul wounds are the result of sin and trauma. We live in a fallen world and are born into sin. Even if we were born into good circumstances and had loving parents (which many may not have), painful events still occur and afflict our souls.
We sin, and our sin opens the door for the enemy to wound and afflict us. On the other hand, others sin against us, knowingly and unknowingly, causing real damage and harm to our souls.
The sad reality of unhealed and untreated soul wounds is that they fester! When left unattended by the love, power, and healing of Jesus, our soul wounds attract unclean spirits. These inner wounds are warning signs to demonic spirits and become a point of access for torment and oppression. In this way, our soul wounds will eventually make us slaves to cycles of sin which leave us defeated…unless we get healed! Jesus is the lover of our souls. If we bring them to Jesus, He can and will heal us.
Psalms 147:3 says, “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.”
However, many can’t even see that they have wounds. Or if they, they may prefer not to seek support from others and pursue their healing alone in prayer. However, this is ineffective. It is not that Jesus can’t bring revelation or healing to the solo Christian. However, He does work through the ones He has anointed to see and allow His power to flow through. As such – we must go to someone who God has appointed as a leader with the ability to ask for help. If you have been going on this long without being able to change anything, shouldn’t you consider taking a brave step to trust the ones God has appointed with care over your soul to help you? How long will shame, fear, rejection hold you back? Do not grow comfortable in your mess, nor form an identity around your pain, trauma, victimhood, or bitterness.
Avoid seeing yourself through the lenses of your brokenness. Stop saying “I’m rejected/an addict/not loved/unwanted/abused/a victim/not safe/not good enough/ugly/not able to/weak...”. You are not defined by these lies or circumstances. Jesus calls us to wholeness, but He cannot accomplish His miraculous work in our souls without our permission. Wholeness is what we can be when our broken hearts are mended, the empty well inside our soul is filled with the love of Jesus, and we stop looking to people, possessions, or power to make us feel complete.
Ask yourself: Does my soul need healing? Who do I go to for help? If you’re a member of a church and come under its covering, the answer would be the God appointed leader of the ministry.
My Story
As a little girl, I developed soul wounds through people and environments around me that weren't healthy. Because of this wound, I grew up filled with suppressed anger and later bitterness. As a result, the bitter pain in my soul spilled over and I would lash out at the people closest to me, further isolating me from the healing nurturing I needed. This isolation only made me feel more unloved and rejected. Despite my best efforts, I made destructive choices without realizing what I was doing and was sinning against God and His Word. As a wounded person, I learned to function through my pain. I used people to fill the void; busyness to distract me from the real problem or I bought things I didn't need.
I first encountered Jesus personally in my later teenage years. It wasn't an immediate encounter that left me transformed but a journey as I searched for Him and began to slowly trust Him. The healing presence of God overwhelmed my soul many times. In my 20s, I was born again, Jesus-loving, Spirit-filled, Bible quoting, church serving, and a hand-raising worshipper, yet deeply dysfunctional and desperately needing Jesus to bind up my wounds!
As I grew in my faith, I was handed various leadership roles. As I took on more responsibility, I was too occupied to think about my issues. I was serving him actively but that didn’t mean I was living in the freedom or the abundance Jesus promised.
However, Jesus beckoned me to wholeness. One day when He spoke, I fell on my face. There in my room, Jesus asked, “Do you want to be made whole?” Desperate for deliverance, I sobbed out “yes!”
I was tired of this pattern of anger and bitterness that was resurfacing. These last few years of my life would mark a very different season that brought me into a quick and accelerated time of healing, breakthrough and positioning which still continues. God sent help my way through Dr Premla and Ark Ministries. I came under covering in this relationship. Godly covering helps us with activation, anointing, protection, and acceleration in spiritual and other areas. I am deeply grateful for the time and the way in which she has been pouring into me and covering me in this relationship. Through Inner Healing sessions and regular counsel with Dr. Premla, Jesus began & continues to touch the wounded places in my soul.
For decades I operated in lies and in a mindset of victimization, now I needed to align my thinking with God’s truth. Through Biblical counselling, she continues to point me to God’s Word and gives me tools to walk out my freedom, and it is helping me see life-long patterns I’ve been developing to compensate for my brokenness. Every day, by the power of the Spirit, I choose to walk in wholeness. I have fallen off the train a couple of times but keep getting back on. I know and believe that I will land at God’s divine destination as I keep moving forward. This experience has set me on a path of wholeness that I will walk out all my days.
What is spiritual covering and why do we need it?
Spiritual covering is a grace or anointing on a person, more specifically an apostle or leader appointed by Christ. A spiritual covering is a spiritual force field which helps bring in good things (blessings) such as having Abraham as a covering to us because of his standing as the Father of Faith, we are children of Abraham and we inherit blessing because of him; and keeps out bad things (protection) - such as for Queen Esther who was under the covering of her Uncle Mordecai that helped her navigate the destiny of the Jewish people. Covering helps us avoid making foolish mistakes.
Apostolic covering is the covering of Christ. It is provided by God to His people and He uses apostles for this purpose. This hierarchy is not restrictive but protective. Under genuine covering, spiritual power is flowing and is at work. Covering is when you allow yourself to be commissioned to carry out the vision of a spiritual father or mother. If you have the heart posture of a son or daughter, you will receive from them as you position yourself to honour their lives and teachings. Believers can be tempted to reject covering because they have been hurt in the past or lack understanding of its biblical basis. However, this could potentially rob them of the benefits of true spiritual covering.
How can we show that we are submitted to a God we cannot see?
By submitting to a God-appointed human being whom we can see. Think of covering as an umbrella. You are provided an umbrella and you must choose to raise and use it. God will lead you to the right covering that you must come under. Your role is to choose to be covered, submit fully, and stay the course. Covering is alignment. The anointing that operates in our leaders’ lives covers and spills into ours. We receive everything connected with them including blessings, breakthroughs from stagnant places, acceleration in our destinies and much more. We need to give our hearts to our leaders. The giving of the heart is a choice to serve and to care for our leader. Ministering in the Word takes great effort when done properly. Paul said that those who are over you in the Lord receive double honour.
In Hebrews 13: 17, obey means to "submit to authority". Paul is telling the Church to submit to and be persuaded by the Word of God being preached by those left in authority. They have the charge of persuading us to good works according to the knowledge given to them through Christ. It brings them joy when the Word of God is obeyed and they are grieved when it is not. The author John Bevere said, “Submitting is about honour and obedience. Honour is displayed by obedience. We don’t honour just to get a reward; we honour because it is the heart of God, and it is our delight. True honour is an outflow from a heart that fears God.”
When we run from our covering, we run from our calling. Covering is the accelerated route to fulfilling the call of God on our life. God will also use covering to tear down our pride. Covering starts at home. Authority and headship in each family and household is established by God’s divine order.
Ephesians 6:1-2 says “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;”
Our relationship with a spiritual father or mother reflects our relationship with Father God, and God tests our hearts in covenant father and son relationship on earth.
Discipleship through Fatherhood & Sonship
Fatherhood and Sonship in the biblical sense is not gendered and applies to both men and women. Fatherhood is essential and foundational to nation building. We must recognize that God is connecting us into a family. God establishes family, and governmental order flows as we submit to the family authority. Our part in the family is not a matter of personal choice, but God divinely ordains it. We must find and connect ourselves with a spiritual family as we submit under authority. When order is established in a family, the authority of God flows and it brings us into the fulfilment of our destiny and inheritance in God as sons and daughters in His Kingdom.
True sons and daughters bear the father’s rebuke, remain faithfully planted in the house and heed correction. Often, unsubmitted people view correction as rejection rather than protection. Those who faithfully follow their father will have the word of their father abiding in them. It is the father who will receive a vision for the house and then raise up those who seek to promote the vision for the establishment of God’s Kingdom and purpose in the earth. We must learn to be an echo before we become a voice.
Sonship is quite simply, learning what it means to be a son to a father in the Body of Christ. God presents Himself to us as both a father and a son. We are made in the image of God, and therefore we should follow in Jesus footsteps by having the attitude of a son towards the Father. Jesus followed in His Father’s footsteps. Philemon 2:5 says to “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”. We see this example of sonship in the lives of Joshua towards Moses, Joseph towards Potiphar, David towards Saul, Elisha towards Elijah, the disciples towards Christ, Timothy towards Paul, and Ruth towards Naomi. There are many examples in the Scriptures of people giving their heart to another, which is the “spirit of sonship.” In these examples, we see people that served and loved one another, reflecting Christ.
Sonship is a unique relationship that we step into with our spiritual father, but more importantly with God. It is a progression from being a servant to becoming a son. Sons receive their inheritance! It is a place of maturity as we walk towards perfection.
Mark 9:7 says “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
We must learn how to be a “son or daughter” to someone else in ministry. How to love and serve another with our whole heart, how to give our heart to someone in the Lord and how to walk with them.
Obedience to God’s voice will result in promotion.
Psalm 75:7 says “But it is God who executes judgement, putting down one and lifting up another.”
Promotion comes from God. Being under a healthy covering that provides boundaries, regulations, and processes will cultivate the humility that God will look for and say: now that I can lift you up.
Apostles are called to advance God’s Kingdom in the earth. Released sons are able to raise seeds (sons) in the earth. It is a circle of the reproduction of the sons of God in the earth. See Luke 3:21-22, Hebrews 2:10, and Malachi 4:5-6. True sons and leaders must go through apostolic discipleship training. God desires to release leaders who are prepared, equipped and mature to fulfil His purpose. After all, Jesus prepared thirty years for a three-and-a-half-year ministry, with eternal impact! This ministry is felt until this day.
We need to be patient and go through the process of training, preparation and development (discipleship). Though there are many “senior leaders” in the vineyard of the Lord who have laboured and there is a great measure of success (harvest) in their work, many are not walking in sonship; and this is where there is a gap, because they are not able to pass on the legacy to the next generation.
Are you covered? It starts with you.
I’m eternally grateful that Jesus didn’t leave me stuck. While I’m very much a work in progress, I can stand before you and testify that Jesus heals and is connecting us into a family to cover us in order to protect us, bless us and propel us forward into His beautiful plan.
Will you come home? Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling each one of us.
Prayer:
Jesus, I come into your presence now, and I ask you to surround me. I come under your authority. I give myself to you—body, soul, and spirit. I give my heart to you —including the broken places in me. I declare your authority over my heart, for you made my heart and you have redeemed my heart. Jesus, forgive me for the ways I’ve mishandled my brokenness. You alone make me dwell in safety. Cleanse my heart of every sin by your shed blood. I now break every agreement I have made with Satan and his lies. I renounce any claim I have given to my Enemy, and in the name of Jesus, I command him to flee. Jesus, come now and do as you promised to do—heal my broken heart and set me free. I welcome your healing, and I welcome this part of my heart home. Come, bind me up, Jesus. Make me whole. As my soul becomes whole, teach me to become a son and daughter just like You, Jesus, and walk in submission, obedience, and honour to the spiritual father that you have placed over my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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