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Understanding the Connection Between a Healthy Soul and Holiness
by Paul Meier, M.D. and Esly Regina Carvalho
One thing that God has been speaking to us about in the last few years is that without inner healing—the healing of the soul—people do not get to the level of holiness that God has called His church to live. It is clear in the Word that God desires to raise up godly offspring, and He wants a holy church. As Christian counselors, we often ask ourselves, “Why doesn’t this happen more frequently in the church?”
Both of us constantly see people who want to live healthier lives. They often come to us in horrific emotional pain as a result of rejections, disappointments and even personal failures—spiritual and otherwise. We encourage them with the good news that they can grow healthier mentally and emotionally with God’s help. But first they will need to recognize and deal with some things that often get in the way of experiencing God’s best.
We are all born with imperfections and defects. The consequences of living in a broken world begin to affect us even before we are born. Some people with genetic disorders may not only need Christian counseling, but also long-term medications. Yes, God can heal anything, but He often uses our weaknesses to develop our trust and reliance upon Him as well as our character.
The need for medication is not a sign of failure or a lack of faith, as some have been taught. Ever since Adam and Eve fell, there have been defects in humans. For example, there are diabetics who require insulin, as well as people with chromosomal deficiencies that lead to Down syndrome. There are also some individuals who have chemical imbalances in their brain. Thankfully, we now know that medication can correct this disorder and many others in a number of people.
Exercising our free will and making decisions to do what’s right can often be a struggle. The apostle Paul struggled with this dilemma— striving to be holy, yet struggling with his own sinfulness. He regretfully declared that he didn’t do the things he should do, but instead wound up doing the wrong things he didn’t want to do. All of us can identify with his anguish. Thankfully, God will deliver us from this struggle as we draw close to Him and walk in His ways. In the meantime, we can find peace just as Paul did, knowing that there is …no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NIV).
Sin breaks us all. While being broken (or humble) in spirit is good, being broken in our soul hinders our ability to be holy. In other words, our lack of healing in our mind, will and emotions contributes to the poor decisions we make, the way we treat our spouses and how we raise our children. We don’t live better because we don’t know how to live better, and until our souls are healed by God’s grace and love, we muddle through life hurting…and hurting others.
How Can We Learn To Heal And Be Holy?
1. Take it to Jesus. Ask Him to heal the broken pieces of your fragmented life that only He can heal, making you a healthy, whole person again. I (Esly) love the words of Malachi 4:2 NIV: But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…. Like a little chick that cuddles up to the warm heart of its mother, we are also called to come near the breast of God and listen to His heartbeat. It’s there that the Lord tenderly speaks to us with words of healing and binds up our bruised lives.
2. Seek the truth about yourself. Exercise courage: Ask God to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you can see any sin that hinders you. David prayed in Psalm 139 and asked God to shine His searchlight in his soul and reveal his secret sins and wounds. You too can pray for truth to be revealed, knowing that only the truth will set you free from the continual bondage of depression and misery.
3. Meditate on Scripture. Ask God to lead you to passages that will give you insights into your unconscious thoughts, feelings and motives. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is sharp, like a two-edged sword, revealing our innermost thoughts and motives.
4. Fellowship with people. As iron sharpens iron, we need trustworthy friends to be honest with us about what they see in us that may need a little tuning up. James 5:16 promises that as we confess our sins to one another, we will be healed.
5. Seek professional help. Believe it or not, when you go see a professional Christian counselor once a week or more for your emotional pain, they are actually discipling you. Christian counselors are trained to dig up root causes of the problems people face and reveal them to their clients in love.
6. Obey what you know. For inner healing to occur, we need to know the truth to uncover the root of our problems. But once we discover the truth, we must walk in obedience to it in order to be set free. Although obedience itself does not heal us directly, it does put us in that place of protection where healing can occur. God’s will for our lives is good, perfect and pleasing. For those who doubt this, I (Esly) tell them to try the alternative—disobedience. It won’t take them long to get a quick lesson on how painful it is to live outside the will of God!
7. God works healing in us as long as we remain in obedience. As we walk in His ways, our souls are healed and we develop holiness. We also stop complicating our lives with the consequences of additional sin. In His grace and mercy, God speaks tenderly to our hearts and develops the character of Jesus in us. And it is through His death, burial and resurrection that we are set free from sin and able to enjoy restored fellowship near the Father’s heart.
Romans 8:29 tells us that God’s goal for our lives is to make us more and more like Jesus—in our thoughts, feelings, motives and actions. This will take willingness and effort on our part, coupled with the abiding power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us along the way. And don’t forget that …in an abundance of counselors there is victory and safety (Proverbs 24:6). So be open and humble enough to ask specialists in various fields for help. And most importantly, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the right help at the right time to arrive at the right conclusions. 
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