Dr. Mike Hutchings of Global Awakening was with us last Thursday at our i61 Restoration U service. It was apparent that Mike's specialty is not just the healing and treatment of PTSD, but more broadly the science and chemistry that is involved in certain spiritual ailments. He would concede that many chronic medical or mental issues are, in fact, spiritually implicated, but the understanding of the body's response and its tendencies in reaction to spiritual matters is key.
Dr. Mike's wealth of knowledge and wisdom around this area is amazing, and we encourage anyone reading to check out his ministry, the Global School of Supernatural Ministry, & Global Awakening.
AUTHORITY
The first point Mike emphasized Thursday was our authority over such things as PTSD, Fibromyalgia, and other nagging & debilitating issues that people commonly deal with. He pointed out that the driving force behind PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is the enemy of our soul: Satan. Of course, there are physical, experiential things attached to trauma, many times induced by abuse or extreme experiences, like that of many of our courageous military veterans. So the first step in the battle of gaining freedom in this area, Mike might say, is understanding that trauma and its most negative effects are the enemy's goal. It's not us or God that's afflicting us; it's the wiles of the enemy.
Another factor that Dr. Mike brought up is simply acknowledging the problem if there is one. He shared that it's somewhat common for folks suffering from PTSD to try to hide its symptoms and refuse help. This can sometimes masquerade as faith to those of us who are Christians, but in this form, it's mere denial.
IDENTITY
Mike went into detail about one of our bread & butter core values here at Praise: Identity. It's essential in ousting such ailments as PTSD to understand one's identity in Christ. Associating past trauma with our character or make-up, and allowing it the power to define who we are, rather than Christ, is a common pitfall in his experience. Mike said on a couple of occasions Thursday: "Your history doesn't define you, Christ does."That's absolutely true!
"Your history doesn't define you, Christ does."
Dr. Mike also tied trauma to identity in the sense that trauma will often disrupt sound identity. He drew the picture of a glass mirror reflecting ourselves, or our identity, being shattered by the results of trauma. If this were to happen, which he has seen time and again, we lose our I.D. and thus the image of who God says we are. In fact, we lose His image and His opinion about us in that process.
"The schizophrenic God (the one who promotes or invokes hardship, suffering, & sickness) is NOT the God that the Bible presents."
KINTSUKUROI
One of the lead precepts of Dr. Mike's content was the idea of "binding up the broken-hearted," a phrase that Brian uses often and one that appears as an accompanying characteristic of Jesus' ministry in Isaiah 61. Because this so central to Jesus' mission and now ours, since we're called to follow Him and be like Him, the answer to PTSD, Fibromyalgia, and other issues, is that it's God's desire for it to leave. So to Mike, trauma is the scientific term for broken-heartedness, thus it's indeed something that folks can be rid of through the power of Jesus.
A beautiful illustration that Mike used to articulate this point, that is that Jesus desires to heal these breaks in our hearts, is the Japanese art of Kintsukuroi. In this practice, fissures in pottery or ceramic are repaired with golden lacquer, binding up the crack and leaving the piece more beautiful than it was formerly. This is what happens when Jesus invades our pains, hurts, and trauma, and restores us to a more beautiful state than before.
Mike brought with him several video testimonies (one is embedded below) that reinforced his point that it was Jesus' mission and now our command to see to the breaks around us an offer the answer.
Catch Restoration U this week as we welcome another Global Awakening staff person, Paul Martini, to minister in the "Power of Peace."
VIDEO TESTIMONIAL - MYALGIA HEALED - ERIC - Courtesy of Global Awakening
- JF D'Orsie - Communications Director - PCC