Kingdom Principles–Part 3: The Well-Watered Garden–Healed and Whole

In other posts I have written about the significance and importance of spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. Healing is one of the ways that Jesus accomplishes His primary mission – to defeat the enemies of God. But I believe the importance of healing can be expressed in another way. Many are bound up, enslaved to fear, shame, guilt, and pain as they cling to their sources of acceptance and value in the world. Until they are healed, until the chains of fear, anger, shame, guilt and other devastating tools of the enemy are broken and removed, they cannot enter the Kingdom of God, even if they wanted to. They are living in the wasteland. They might even be able to see the well-watered garden in the distance, but until healed they have no idea how to get there. Perhaps they can ‘smell’ the fragrance of the Garden, but cannot tell where the aroma is coming from.

I believe that many people are trapped in the wasteland of life and don’t know how to get out, even if they wanted to. Spiritual, emotional, and physical healing sets them free. This healing has to be done by Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus heals. He has already healed – “by the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole“. It is in His power, in His name, and through His work on the cross that healing occurs. Sometimes, when we become aware of our desperate situation we can cry out “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me” and healing can occur. Often, we need to turn to a brother of sister who has healing experience. There is much disagreement in the Church about healing, but to me, Jesus has made it clear – we are called to heal in His name. Still, we must be wise about healing. We must be sure that those to whom we turn for healing are truly working in His name and His power.

When Jesus heals us spiritually, emotionally, and physically we are set free from the bondage to Satan. The chains that have weighed us down are broken. I imagine it is like having one end of a heavy chain draped over my body, almost crushing me. The other end of the chain is wrapped around the ankle of a huge elephant, like one you might see working in India. When the elephant moves, I move with him. I am powerless, without any freedom. These are the chains Jesus breaks. Now I am free to choose my own path;  free to enter the Garden, where there is freedom (no chains) and protection. I am also free to remain in the wasteland. If I do, over time the chains will return.

There is still another dimension to life in the wasteland. As I discussed with the Rich Young Ruler, many of us have ‘fortified cities’ in our hearts. These fortifications have been built over years and years of living in our own power, in the kingdom of self; years of living with fear, anxiety, and without hope. The ‘fortified cities’ in our hearts have three devastating consequences:

First, they prevent us from entering the Kingdom of God, the well-watered Garden, in the same way Jericho prevented Israel from entering the Promised Land. The well-watered Garden is the New Covenant equivalent of the Promised Land. In this sense, repenting and believing for us is like crossing the Jordan for Israel. But crossing the Jordan was not enough — Jericho had to be destroyed. God did it, but Joshua and his army had to obey and do the work.

Second, they prevent the voice of God from penetrating our hearts. We are like the people described by Isaiah “ever hearing but never understanding” (Isaiah 6:9 NIV). Isaiah says “if they would hear with their ears and turn, I would heal them”. A.W. Tozer asks this question: “If the curtain to the Holy of Holies has been torn, why do so many Christians stand around outside the Holy Place”? In other words, why do so many Christians continue to live in the wasteland when the gate to the Garden is open? I believe it is because we have built up a veil or wall of spiritual flesh around our hearts — these walls have been accreted onto the walls of the ‘fortified cities’. The effect of this wall is to prevent us from hearing and understanding God’s voice of love, encouragement, and acceptance in our hearts.

Third, the ‘fortified city’ of Jericho, was not inhabited by Israel. It was inhabited by the Canaanites, enemies of Israel. It is true for the ‘fortified cities’ in our hearts as well. They are inhabited by enemies opposed to us and to God; demonic forces more powerful than us. As long as these enemies have a stronghold in our heart, they can continue to release hopelessness, despair, fear, and anger into our lives. And they keep the door to the demonic realm open so our hearts are under constant attack. Demons are free to roam throughout the wasteland, which is their home. The wasteland is not only a place of loneliness and barrenness. It is also a place of spiritual and emotional danger.

When we open our hearts to Jesus and ask Him to remove our shame and guilt, He will. This process involves repentance. Jesus will grant us forgiveness and will drain away the shame and break these chains that have crippled us. When we ask Jesus to destroy the ‘fortified cities’ in our hearts, He will. He might ask us to give up something or someone or He might not. Our part in healing is obedience, which He can participate in as well.

I am guessing that everyone living in the wasteland is broken-hearted in some way. How can you live there and not be? Probably everyone needs healing to one extent or another to enter the Garden. All are perishing for lack of water — the life-giving Holy Spirit. God, through Christ, is calling us who are in-Christ to be that source of water to them.

Here is another thought — the trees in the Garden are fragrant. I never thought of that before. Fruit trees blossom in the spring – they are beautiful and fragrant, like cherry, peach, and pear trees. The wall of the well-watered Garden is a barrier to most things – but not to the fragrant aroma of the trees. This aroma wafts into the wasteland and announces the blessings of the Garden. And God calls us, not only to be the people of the Way, but also to be the fragrance of the Garden, carrying the scent of life with us wherever we go so that no one will perish.

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3: 10 NIV). That is, to enter the well-watered Garden, the Kingdom of God.

“Now thanks be to God who always leads in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life” (2 Corinthians 2: 14-16 NKJV).

The fragrance of Christ is the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God, the well-watered Garden. We carry that fragrance, that aroma into the world. All will ‘smell’ the sweet aroma of God’s Kingdom on us. Some will reject the Kingdom. To them the fragrance of the Christ will seem like death. Some will receive the Kingdom. To them the fragrance of Christ will be life.

But we, you and I, in Christ (living in the Kingdom of God) are called to spread the fragrance of the Gospel. Are we worthy of such a task God has entrusted to us? Yes! But only as Kingdom men and women. Have you entered the well-watered Garden? Is anything holding you back? Repent. Right now. Cry out to God and ask Him for the gift of repentance and faith. And He will usher you into a life more amazing than you have ever imagined. Lives depend upon you.

Hallelujah!