These imaginary rungs of the ladder towards total wholeness all work in conjunction with each other. Healing is part of deliverance, although 
different, and deliverance is always preceded by repentance. All these steps have a knock on effect. By going through the process, the individual grows and matures. The whole process of being in Christ is to grow so that we become fruitful. In fact, we are commanded from the very beginning of the creation narrative to be fruitful and to multiply (Gen 1:28). The limiting factor, which inhibits growth and fruitfulness, is the propensity for us to disobey and to do things our own way. Again the Lord reminds us in scripture that ‘His ways and not our ways neither are His thoughts our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). And so the process of healing is ‘putting the missing ingredient back into a situation’. For a cancer patient, healing is replacing the damaged cells with good fully functional ones. For someone with a broken bone, it is supporting the limb until the structure has reconstructed itself. And for a broken spirit, healing is the process of reconnecting that spirit back to the creator of spirits, Yahweh. Now there are many gods in our world today, but it is Yahweh, the God of the bible, the only wise God, who is the creator that heals a broken spirit. Putting back the missing ingredient to body, soul (mind) and spirit was the mandate that Jesus set out with (see Luke 4:18ff), likewise we who follow Jesus are called to be ambassadors of this process as we ourselves are delivered, healed and restored. Read Luke 4&5 to see the great task that lies ahead of us.
as we discover that healing is the process of making good what was bad and righting what was wrong, do you need healing today? Part 10
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Brokenness, Fruitfulness, Healing, Hope, multiplication, Repentance, Subtraction, Woundedness
as we look at the nature of deliverance (part 9)
For some, deliverance is an ambiguous word as it conjures up many different images in the mind. One of the synonyms of deliverance is 
liberation. Liberation is to be set free. This is a true definition of what liberation is. When Jesus started his ministry at the age of 30 he initiated it by reading from the book of Isaiah 61:1-2a. This was his manifesto and the blueprint of what he would aim to accomplish during the next 3 ½ years of ministry. Not only was Jesus’ mission to usher in the kingdom of God, it was also to initiate a spirit of deliverance, that would set all those who were captives free. To be delivered then, is to be set free. The question that we must all ask is, what am I being delivered or set free from? Furthermore, what happens to me after I am set free?
During Jesus’ ministry, his first and most important task was to set people free from a slavery mindset. People who are controlled by a spirit jealousy and envy exhibit this mindset. Although at the time of Jesus the people of Israel had been set free from slavery for well over 400 years, they were still under the rule of the Roman Emperor. They were free to worship the God of their choice, but they yearned for self-government and their own land. This preoccupation with physical liberation only pushed them further into ascetism and religious bigotry. Jesus set about his deliverance ministry by using word pictures to present the working of his kingdom to his hearers. As people received his message and implemented it, they saw miracles, signs and wonders. As the kingdom of God spread, it was left to the apostle Paul to crystallize how we receive and maintain our deliverance. This is his methodology as outlined in Romans 12. We must be transformed [ delivered] by the renewing of our minds. For an individual to be transformed, that is, change the way they think, live and operate, their minds must first be renewed. They must be delivered from the old and rigid ways of thinking and acting.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Freedom, Humility, Spiritual Discipline, Truth, Understanding, Wisdom
as we come to rung eight on the ladder towards total restoration, repentance!
We must bear in mind that each rung on the ladder is receded by the previous one, and if we skip one step, we will be delivered but there will be 
a gap in our lives as the process has not been completed fully. Hence, we still have many people in leadership who have the wrong motives and therefore have the wrong expectations.
After our initial act of faith in accepting Jesus as our Lord and saviour, we may think that there is no further need for repentance. However, due to our nature and the propensity to make mistakes, there is a constant need for repentance. Simply put, repentance means to turn away from. That is, we stop doing an action or an activity that is leading us away from God. It is by continued repentance that we come to understand the true nature of God. In his letter to the Ephesians brethren, the apostle Paul wrote this: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” 2:4-6. Even when we were very far from God, he was making provision for us, so that when we came home [repented and turned around] he would lavish his great love on us. If our great God can demonstrate a repentant heart, then so should we. Therefore, we are able to sing to him: ‘thank you oh my father for giving us your son and leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done’. So today, develop a repentant spirit and keep repenting so that grace may abound in your hearts. Read Ephesians 2:1-22.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Knowledge, Learning, Prayer, Repentance, Wisdom
as we forgive those who trespass against us and develop a spirit of forgiveness
The ability to forgive is one that is part and parcel of the Christian way of life. However, many Christians 
fail to implement this very necessary principle so that they can in turn receive forgiveness. Why should I forgive and what are the precedents that suggest that I should forgive? Firstly, forgiveness is at the heartbeat of God. When humanity disobeyed God and followed the serpent, he could have abandoned his creation and left them to their own devices. However, He implemented a plan for their total restoration. This plan involved the sacrifice of his only son and forgiving humanity for turning their back on God and enabling everyone who put their trust in Jesus to receive total forgiveness. Secondly, by developing a heart of forgiveness, each believer removes from their spirit the propensity to plant a root of bitterness in their heart. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us thus: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15 NRSV). If we fail to forgive and harbour unforgiveness in our hearts, we are laying up trouble for ourselves in the future. This trouble comes in the form of bitterness in our spirit. This bitterness manifests itself as physical disease. There are many Christians whose lives ‘are cut’ short by ailments such as liver disease because they have harboured bitterness in their heart.
Jesus is our model for forgiveness. When Judas betrayed him, instead of giving him the cold shoulder and ostracising him, he embraced him and invited him to partake of the last supper with him. When Peter denied him, his first action after his resurrection was to restore Peter rather than berate him and leaving him out in the cold. Furthermore, when Jesus was on the cross in agony, instead of berating those who had crucified him, he asked father God to forgive them since they had no idea that they were fulfilling the plan originated by God to bring restoration to humanity. If you are unable to forgive, it is likely that you will not receive forgiveness. Read Matthew 6:9-15.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Forgiveness, Repentance, Restoration, Spiritual Discipline, The Blood of Jesus, Truth
as we move toward our goal of total wholeness by renewing our minds (part 6)
The apostle Paul encourages every believer that once they accept Jesus as their saviour and king they must go through the process of 
transformation so that they can become like Jesus. This transformation will never occur until the mind of the individual is renewed. He write that; “we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).” The question we must ask ourselves is how do we renew our minds, and how does the transformation occur?
Firstly, let me say that our minds are the battleground of our spiritual warfare. And we are in a battle when we put our faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Again we are told by the apostle Paul that we do not wage war against flesh and blood, viz; “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete”, (2Cor 10:4-6 Amplified). Once we know where our battleground is, it is up to us to know how to fight our enemies and how to renew our minds.
Secondly, we must know how to fight. The renewal of the mind dictates that we allow the Lord to fight our battles whilst we fight the good fight of faith by being in Christ Jesus. We renew our minds by reading copiously the word of God. The psalmist says ‘the entrance of your word brings light, it impart understanding to the simple’, Psalm 119:130. Light comes when we gain understanding from the word that we read. This in turn enables us to act in a way that brings glory to God and transformation to our character. Our way of thinking changes, our habits are upgrades and our character [who we are] is being transformed to be more like Jesus. And so wholeness becomes more and more viable!
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Growing, Humility, Insight, Integrity, Maturity, The word, Transformation
as we progress on the road towards total wholeness by being conscientised
Once we have started the process towards wholeness, there comes a time in our lives when the penny drops. This is the time when I realise that life does not 
revolve around me, my destiny is indelibly linked to that of others and the decisions I make impacts those in my immediate circle and those of my future. This is the time when we actually realise that we are a part of a bigger movement, and it really does matter what we do. How we operate matters and what we do really does change the perception of others. This is also the time when we realise that doing nothing is not an option. Our rhetoric must have a meaningful outcome rather than being just words. As Paulo Freire says, ‘words without action is mere verbalism’ and ‘action without reflection is mere activism’.
It is at this time when our attitude changes and we believe that we must do something for others rather than just living for ourselves as we once did. Our spiritual, emotional and physical eyes are open and we can see the bigger picture. With the removal of the scales, our words are ‘backed up’ by our actions, and we are able to reflect on those actions critically. We are being conscientised. The journey continues and each individual now realises that as part of the kingdom of God we are responsible for its expansion and looking after our fellow members. Conscientisation is defined as:
“the process of developing a critical awareness of one’s social reality through reflection and action. Action is fundamental because it is the process of changing the reality. Paulo Freire says that we all acquire social myths which have a dominant tendency, and so learning is a critical process which depends upon uncovering real problems and actual needs.” Learning about God is a vital part of our development for impacting the world we live in. Are you making an impact where you live?
Posted in God's Order | Tags: discipline, Faith, Faithfulness, Favour, Focus, Freire
as we develop our auditory tract and learn the art of listening to the Holy Spirit (part 4)
Whilst on the isle of Patmos we were surrounded by a cacophony of different sounds. We were on a Greek island staying Greek in a hotel with a clientele from 
many different countries. We heard French, Italian, Greek and other eastern European languages. The difficulty we had was knowing what was being said and how to respond if we were directly addressed.
This is a major problem one faces when one approaches God and have no idea of the methodology that he uses to communicate with those who want to hear from him. What is his language, how does he speak and more importantly how do we listen to him?
To hear from God dictates that we have gone through the first two steps on the road towards total wholeness, that is, we have humbled ourselves and have asked Jesus to immerse us in his spirit. This process enlivens our spirit and connects us to God. Jesus tells us that God is a spirit and those who worships or connects with him, must do so in the spirit (John 4:24). That is, we cannot connect to spirit unless we enter into the spiritual realm. The question many people fail to get an answer to, is how do we enter into the spiritual realm so that we can listen to and hear from God the Holy Spirit? Again Jesus gives us the tools to do this. Whilst with his disciples, he often referred to their ‘little faith’ (see Matt 16:8), although they believed him to be the Messiah or the Christ, their faith seldom went beyond this. Jesus was teaching them and us, that by listening to and following the Holy Spirit one is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can think or even imagine. Listening to the Holy Spirit dictates that we spend time reading and meditating on the word. The Job of the Holy Spirit is to reveal more and more of the nature of Jesus to us. And as we take on more and more of Jesus’ attributes we become fully human and our spirit comes now alive and we are able to keep in step with what the Holy Spirit is doing in our locality and in the wider world. There are many voices in the spiritual atmosphere, however only that voice that points you toward Jesus is that of the Holy Spirit so listen to Him and hear what he is saying to you today.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Listening, Obedience, Prophecy, Purpose, Relationship, Restoration, Spiritual Discipline
as we devise a plan and implement it (Pt3)
The ability to submit to another’s will is the ultimate as an expression of humility. This is what is required of those whose intention it is to follow Jesus whole-
heartedly. So what does it mean to submit to the will of God. Firstly, we must know and understand what the will of God is corporately and individually. So let us see what scripture says about the will of God. Jesus told his hearers that, his sole intention in life was to do the father’s will (John 4:34). Now the will of an individual is defined as “the intent or intention of that individual”. The will of God then is His intention or desire for humanity. After the fall and the downward spiral of humanity towards hell and the total separation from his creator, Yahweh devised a plan that required obedience and sacrifice. The intention of God has never changed. He desires relationship and intimacy with us his creation, but our desire must be the same also. When Jesus was here physically, he taught his followers to pray thus: Father let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven, (Luke 11:1-4). Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, that is, God’s way of doing things. However, for his intentions to be carried out we must submit to his way of doing things. That is, we must allow his will to be done here among us. In a nutshell then, how do we do that?
The apostle Paul reminds us that God’s initial will for all of humanity is that ‘we all should be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:17). It is this process that allows the individual to submit to God. By doing this, our behaviour, attitude and relationships with our fellow men drastically changes. We are then no longer driven by how we feel or by the desires of our hearts, but by what God say through Jesus Christ his son, the logos. Henceforth we do not operate in a legalistic manner like the ancient Israelites did, but have a tangible living relationship with risen lord Jesus Christ who brings transformation to us on a daily basis.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Hearing, Listening, Obedience, Spiritual Discipline, Submission, Transformation, Will
as we devise a plan and implement it (part 2)
The second stage on the road towards total wholeness is for the individual to be baptised in Holy Spirit. Now there seems to be a lot of confusion 
when it comes to the baptism of or in the Holy Spirit. This in not some esoteric experience to be attained by the ‘chosen few’, not is it a Nirvana experience. This is a pre-requisite for all those who want to be an integral part of the kingdom of God and not just church members. So how is the individual baptised and by whom?
Firstly, let us turn to the scripture to answer these questions. During his ministry John the cousin of Jesus, preached repentance in the wilderness and hundreds of people came, confessed their sin and were baptised by him in water. Whilst ministering there he made this declaration in answer to their question about whether or not he was the Messiah: “I baptise with water, among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” The scripture states that the next day Jesus came to be baptised by John and the spirit of revelation and wisdom came upon John who exclaimed: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me (God the Father) to baptise with water said to me, the one on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:26-34). Matthew adds “baptises with Holy Spirit and fire” in his gospel (Matt 3:11).
This was fulfilled 50 after Jesus ascended to heaven on the day of Pentecost as recorded by Dr. Luke in Acts 2. The disciples of Jesus were in one place on one accord when Jesus the baptiser came and baptised everyone who was in that upper room, all 70 of them in Holy Spirit which was evidenced by tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). Now I am aware that there is also contention about speaking in tongues and whether it is the initial evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. I am also aware that this is a huge topic and cannot be broached here, but suffice it to say that the apostle Paul tells us that there are two types of tongues, tongues or the language of angels and that of human beings (1Cor 13). Whilst speaking the speaker is totally oblivious to the language he is speaking it is the hearer who makes the distinction as on the day of Pentecost.
Being baptised in Holy Spirit by Jesus is for every believer; however, because of miss-information and fear many believers neglect this baptism and live on the edge of the kingdom of God. Today if you have repented and have received the baptism unto repentance in water, pray this prayer: Dear Jesus, would you please come and baptise me in Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in the tongues of men and of angels? Please read the scriptures in the text.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: Authority, Belief, gifts, Hearing, Integrity, Love, Purpose, Spiritual Discipline
as we devise a plan and implement it
After the fall of humanity from grace, God devised a plan for the total restoration of humanity to complete wholeness. Jesus implemented the 
plan and opened a door so that everyone alive on the planet can gain access. The problems we face on a local, regional and national basis is how to implement the plan. Furthermore there is a whole section of humanity who live for today, seemingly aloof of the provision made by God through Jesus Christ.
This is my attempt to crystallise the plan for total restoration into a point by point easy to follow scheme. This is the outline of a twelve point plan which starts with the most fundamental trait that every individual needs to implement:- humbleness of heart, baptism in Holy Spirit, submitting to the will of God, listening to the Holy Spirit, being conscientised, renewal of the mind, forgiveness, repentance, deliverance, healing, restoration and restitution. I believe that the implementation of this plan will enable the individual to be totally restored. Read Proverbs 22:4, 11:2;15:22 and18:12-22. In Proverbs 22:4 the writer reminds us that humility, the first step on this ladder towards total restoration, and the fear of the Lord yields riches, honour and long life.
Posted in God's Order | Tags: discipline, Favour, Grace, Obedience, Restoration
Pastor Bell's Words To Live By 