Scripture: 2 Timothy 1 v 7: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Luke 4 v 18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"
Mental illness is epidemic across the world and there are many famous names drumming up financial support and public awareness to find ways to heal the minds that have been damaged.
If all could be Christians and follow the precepts of the Bible, many could be helped or even healed of these ailments. Jesus took it all upon Himself, even the Crown of Thorns was significant, the (now extinct) nabk thorns being up to ten centimetres long pierced His head and face, showing that His head bled as He took on brain diseases and mental problems.
They ripped His beard off His face causing Isaiah to prophesy in chapter 52 v 13 - 15: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider."
The verse in Luke 4 talks of healing the broken hearted. The word heart can be exchanged for spirit....those who are broken in spirit, or shattered by some trauma, can be healed by Jesus through His Body, us, using the gifts and insight taught to us by the Holy Spirit.
We need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit to receive this training, plus the gifts He gives us to help the afflicted. Jesus also says in Luke that He is anointed to bring deliverance to the captives. These captives are not people in jail or kidnapped, but captive to demonic forces controlling their minds.
Millions of people suffer from Dementia which presents itself in many different ways. The word "Dementia" actually means afflicted by demons, or tormented by them. In Mark 5, the Gadarene demoniac was suffering from extreme dementia, and within a very short space of time Jesus set him completely free so that he went from a raving lunatic to a man sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind.
It cost nothing and was done in simplicity and compassion. Jesus passed on His abilities to His disciples to this day, but only a few believe and receive this and are willing to tackle this onslaught by faith in His name. I was dropped in the deep end of deliverance forty years ago and from what Jesus has accomplished through this ministry and the team that was added by Him is simply wonderful. All the glory is His and He works with us to set the captives free.
In the verse from Luke, He sets at liberty them that are bruised. This is not referring to visible black and blue bruises from falling off your bike or walking into the table edge, but deep mental anguish like PTSD. That stands for post traumatic stress disorder.
It is very prevalent in the military forces all over the world, or in people held hostage for ransom, or people who have been tortured, or come through severe injuries. Something gets triggered in the deep recesses of memory that cause terrible mental anguish that leads to anti-social behaviour, or violent outbursts. It is overwhelming fear coupled with the recall of horrific sights, sounds, smells that recurs in nightmares or waking memories that are relentless.
Jesus can fix this through His ministry that heals shattered minds through competent counsellors. The gifts, knowledge and authority have been extended since the Cross to all generations. Sadly, they have been shelved by many leaving only those committed to doing His will and they are few and far between.
People who do not know enough about it are afraid of deliverance. In Mark 5 they chased Jesus away because they had no understanding plus their pigs had drowned.
They choose the route of psychiatrists who may be extremely competent but while they can describe the onslaught and damage perfectly, the medication usually results in the patient living in a semi-stupor for the rest of his/her life. The psychiatrists are describing demonic attacks on the human mind but they do not apply the correct solution. They have no power to cast the demons out.
When Jesus was on Earth 70% of His ministry was healing and deliverance from demons. In Paul's ministry Acts 19 v 11 - 12: "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them."
When Paul could not go in many different directions at once, nor the sick or afflicted be brought to him, pieces of cloth upon which he had laid his hands and prayed over were taken to the sick or the oppressed and they were healed and delivered.
If you are one in need of healing or deliverance of a mental illness, I pray over this blog post for you to be healed or set free of whatever is afflicting you. Put your hand on this page and ask Jesus to meet your need. Put your faith in Him and trust Him to do what He does best. He wants you to live without fear. He wants you to have love, peace and a sound mind. Believe it and receive it.
I can heal nobody, but Jesus Christ is alive in me and it is He who is able. Be uplifted in His everlasting arms. He healed at a distance too like the centurion's son, who knew that Jesus could command spirits, rule over them. Jesus said of him, I have never found such great faith. May He say that of you too!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is time to take the bull by the horns and wrestle him into submission. I rebuke and bind every demon that afflicts the minds or bodies of those You love. I command those evil spirits to depart back to the Hell they came from and to loose these precious souls. Lord as they trust You and lay their hands on these words by faith, that You will heal, deliver, restore, and make whole that they may rejoice at Your unspeakable gift. In Jesus' name. Amen.