Let me start off by stating that I am not a medical expert, but I would still like to share with you what the Lord has taught me about overcoming trauma. There was a time in my life when I was struggling to overcome this, and the Lord used the opportunity to teach me about what He did for us on the cross, and how through applying this understanding, we can all overcome trauma. The main reason why I was struggling to overcome this, is because I didn’t know what I was dealing with. When I cried out to the Lord for help, He helped me understand what trauma is, how it occurred for me, and how to overcome it.

Trauma is an event or a series of events which are deeply distressing to a person. Distress can be described as extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain. Similar words include anguish, suffering, pain and torment.

In order for us to overcome things like shame, rejection, and trauma, we must understand the finished work of Jesus on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, there were many exchanges which took place. An exchange means that if I give you something, then you give me something in return.

It is also very important to understand that when Jesus was hanging on the cross and He uttered the words, “It is finished!” – this was another way of saying, “your debt is paid in full.” These words spoken by Jesus was also a victory proclamation, meaning that the work He had accomplished on the cross was perfect in every way, and it could not be improved upon. It was an absolutely perfect work from God with the purpose of providing us with full salvation.

There is nothing that we can bring to God in order to add to our salvation, or to earn it. It is a free gift from our loving Father. I believe that it is also important for us to understand that salvation in its entirety includes saving, healing, deliverance and protection, preservation, and to be made whole.

I’d like to share my testimony with you, of how God healed me of the trauma from my past, and how He taught me through this experience, that this was one of the exchanges of the cross.

I had suppressed the trauma from my childhood for many years – not willingly but subconsciously.

The problem with suppressing trauma, is that it has a way of coming out later. That’s exactly what happened to me. Many years later, through another traumatic experience, all the childhood trauma I had suppressed came to the surface unexpectedly. I’m not going to go into all the details because it’s a long story. But, what I will say is that it was one of the hardest things I ever had to go through. I think anyone who has experienced trauma will agree.

For me, the way that the trauma presented itself was through thoughts related to the trauma I went through during my childhood. It wasn’t necessarily memories as such, but instead just thoughts related to the trauma. The thoughts were constant and very distressing for me. But, praise be to our great God, because He completely healed me and set me free of this when I was baptized under water in May 2018. 

The moment I came up out of the water those traumatic thoughts were gone. Every single one of them. I even tried to look for them, but I could not find them. The Lord did for me what I could not do for myself, and therefore He gets all the glory. I will always be so grateful to Him for what He did for me. Back then I didn’t fully understand how He healed me, but He has since given me the revelation and understanding, which I would like to share with you, because I know that many people have gone through trauma in their lives, and I know that God wants to heal them.

I have come to understand that most things in the bible have a hidden spiritual meaning. One day I was thinking about how Jesus wore a crown of thorns when He was crucified, and I asked Him, “Why specifically thorns?” His answer to me was this, “Mental anguish.” I immediately understood what He meant, because these two words so perfectly describe what I was going through for many months before my water baptism (referring to the trauma).

Mental anguish can best be described as extreme mental distress, torment, or suffering as a result of things like trauma. It can also include feelings of sadness or heartache. We can also understand it as “distress of mind.” However, thanks be to our great God because He has made perfect provision for us to be healed from “mental anguish” so that we can have a sound mind. Jesus took upon Himself all our trauma, mental anguish, pain, suffering and mental torment so that we can have a sound mind. This is the exchange.

Some time after the Lord gave me this revelation, I asked Him for a scriptural basis to support this understanding. I believe that this is what the Holy Spirit showed me:

Surely He has borne our griefs (H2483 anxiety, grief, sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (H4341 anguish: grief, pains, sorrows/heartaches)

Isaiah 53:4 NKJV

The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.

Isaiah 1:5-6 NKJV

I believe the key words here are: “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints” and “There is no soundness in it.” We know that God promises us a sound mind in 2 Timothy 1:7 (God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind).

Healing past wounds and receiving a sound mind comes from understanding the exchange which was made on the cross. When we give Jesus the trauma or mental anguish, He gives us peace and a sound mind in exchange. We gratefully receive and accept what He has for us so that we can be healed and made whole.

You will also notice from the Scripture in Isaiah 1:5, that it mentions both the head and the heart (The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints). Very often these two go hand in hand – the head and the heart. This was very true in my experience, and in other people who we have helped when they needed to make this exchange. Normally fear and anxiety (in a person’s heart) can accompany trauma (thoughts). I believe that when God brings relief and freedom through the exchange, He not only gives us a sound mind, but He also gives us peace in our hearts and minds. Thank You Jesus!

We have prayed for others who have experienced trauma and encouraged them to make the exchange with the Lord through prayer. When they have understood what the Lord has done for them, they have testified of how the Lord set them free from the feelings and emotions associated with the trauma. They believe that they were healed and set free.

When we make the exchange with Jesus through prayer, He takes our pain, traumatic memories, mental anguish and everything else that goes along with it (fear, anxiety, depression). In exchange, He gives us a sound mind and peace.

May I please encourage anyone who knows that they are struggling with any sort of mental anguish right now to pause here and pray. In faith, make the exchange with Jesus. Hand over the pain, trauma, heartache, fear, depression and mental torment. But, when you hand it over to the Lord, it is important to let go of it so that the Lord can set you free. Don’t hold on to it. Let Jesus bring healing and freedom so that you can be made whole in Him. He loves you dearly and wants what is best for you.

I hope this message has blessed and encouraged you.