Overcoming PTSD

Greetings in the Lord!


With another shooting on a military base, news headlines are re-examining the prevalence of Post Traumatic Shock Disorder (PTSD) among our military service people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular.  While certainly theirs is a stressful job and combat can leave deep emotional scars, I would like to examine this issue from another perspective--from a spiritual viewpoint.


We know the Bible teaches that we consist of a body, mind, and spirit, yet so often we do not fully take that into consideration as we go about our modern lives.  As life unfolds and events and experiences take place, we often overlook how the spirit realm interacts and affects our more familiar parts, body and mind.  We simply see a doctor for pain, a therapist for emotional wounding, and go about with life coping the best we can.  But I'd like you to consider the spiritual side.


For years I travelled worldwide playing professional basketball, spending time in places where corruption and wickedness are in full swing.  With my eyes I saw injustice, hatred, greed and cruelty near daily.  On occasion the Lord would allow me to see into the spirit realm to show me the demons at work behind the scenes.  The land was full of iniquity because devils had created wicked strongholds in the culture and the people just accepted it as "that's how we live."  Of course, they didn't like certain things that went on, but knew there would be reprisals if they did the right thing.  Believe me, there are places like that in the world.


And when you visit these dark places, these nasty devils like to follow you and try to attach to you if you are not careful.  That's why even visiting porn shops or drug havens is a dangerous idea--like the Old Testament taught--touching a defiled object defiled the person.  Well, now we are sending our troops to various dark places around the world and lo and behold, they are returning with "PTSD."--that is not a coincidence.  In fact, quite often missionaries and international NGO workers run into this as well.


I am not a member of the military, but both times that I have lived in the Middle East (Syria & Saudi Arabia), I returned home with spiritual "baggage."  In fact, to some degree, every dark place I lived in in the world I had to contend with some form of nasty spiritual baggage common to the place I visited.  It's not a case of having committed some sin while I was there per se (although repentance is a part of the "breaking off" process), but rather, it's just the way evil spirits like to harass and thwart God's people from following the call on their lives.
So, when I return home, I seek out an anointed person of God to pray and "break off" the attachments, "bind" them in Jesus name, and "loose" them to go back to the darkness.


I would recommend every Christian who travels where the name of Jesus is not received or being lived out to do the same thing.  It is the Biblical idea of "brushing the dust" from you when you leave a rebellious place.  Just pray that the blood of Jesus covers you and breaks off any ungodly attachments in Jesus' name.
However, with places like Syria and Saudi (and I'm sure Afghanistan & Iraq), it is different.  A person who brings home malevolent spiritual baggage from these places may go through a prolonged season of intense warfare.  The symptoms may include---fits of rage, severe annoyance with everything and everyone, depression, hopelessness, feel extreme hatred/racism, not wanting to be around people, etc.--all the symptoms of PTSD.  Never fear!  God is much bigger than the spiritual oppression you are going through.


So, in addition to whatever your therapist is telling you do, I would recommend approaching this battle like any other you've been prepared for in your life.  You will need to pray daily to God like you spend time with your buddies.  You will need to praise and worship God like you like to jam to your favorite music.  Give up alcohol and no guns; in fact, get rid of all those things that you'd be embarrassed to show God. 

Next, be persistent!  It will take time to walk out your deliverance.  The devils in these places are stubborn, so be more determined to walk faithfully with God--His grace is sufficient for you.  Be like the parable of the old woman and the unjust judge.  She went to him day after day to demand justice and eventually he gave it to her so he wouldn't have to listen to her anymore.  Well, God is way more loving to us!  We don't have to beg, bribe, or cry, just give your life to God--with all your heart--and Jesus is faithful to set you free.


So, if anyone in the military that you know is suffering from PTSD, take them to an anointed person of God---you may have to search it out, and ask them to pray deliverance for them/you.  Then walk out your deliverance with God Almighty.  On average it takes some months of daily personal prayer and praising God to feel completely strong again, but God is faithful.  The Lord is with you every step of the way.  He gave you a career in the military so you could learn to fight the good fight Amen.


Also, if that person or yourself have not been through total immersion baptism, then they/you should do so.  In fact, I strongly recommend to our Armed Forces that chaplains would do that for all consenting returning service personnel as soon as they land back on U.S. soil.  We can't afford to have any more spiritually oppressed military people or lose one more life in our Armed Forces.


~Be blessed and be a blessing.