TWO POSITIVE PURPOSES OF PTSD

• Have you ever considered PTSD as having a positive purpose?

• Isn't it true that God used the outcome of the crushing and crucifixion of Christ for good?

• Do all things work for good for those who love God, to those who are the called according to God's purpose?

• That promise in Rom. 8:28, of all things working together for good to those who love God,  is set in the wider context of 3 groanings: the creation groans and suffers waiting for our redemption, we ourselves groan waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, and the Spirit groans in His intercession for us according to God's will.

What I want to discuss with you today has to do with two major factors in Scripture for Christian veterans, First Responders, for abuse folks and their families. First, God uses PTSD or traumatic stress to weaken the flesh's sinful influence on us. Second, the weakening of our flesh is meant to turn our attention to the Person and work of Christ. 

The flesh

Flesh in Scripture, basar in Hebrew, and sarx in Greek. Basically, it conveys several different concepts. 1) Often, flesh refers to the body and its physical, material nature without reference to good or evil. 2) It implies weakness and frailty, both physically and morally. It is the opposite of (pneuma) or spirit. 3) It also implies sinfulness and proneness to sin; the seat of carnal appetites, desires, and passions whether physical or moral. The Greek ascribes a similar evil influence to the body or (soma). 4) The flesh also addresses human nature that commits adultery with other men's wives or foreigners, or it speaks of Christ's incarnate human nature.(The Complete Word Study New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, ed. (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1992), 1280-81.

We will consider # 3) today: the flesh in its sinfulness and proneness to sin; the seat of our carnal appetites, desires, and passions whether physical or moral. The Greek ascribes a similar evil influence to the body or (soma).

Rom. 7:18, 21-23 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; . . . 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.(emphasis added)

The flesh is also the dynamic principle of sinfulness within us, what Paul in Romans 8:2 calls "the law of sin and death." Even though Christ has set us free from this law or covenant of works, we still carry a "dead body/body of sin" around with us, if you will. This is why we continue to sin the same sins. God expects us to sin, but, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (even though we continue to sin; Rom. 8:1; 1 Jn. 1:9; Jas. 5:16).

Putting confidence in the flesh

• Paul had a problem with his flesh like we do with ours

Phil. 3:1-13 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (emphasis added)

For military personnel and First Responders, no one wants to stay at the bottom of the totem pole. I entered the military as a Private, E-1. I didn't say to myself, "I want to stay a private. I'm not interested in making PFC or Corporal or even Sergeant. Private suits me just fine." 

Police recruits want to climb the ladder to perhaps someday becoming a Detective and maybe a Chief of Police. Firemen want to gain rank and status too. Awards come along in the course of time and status among the rank and file is desirable. 

It is natural to want to get better at one's job. God placed that within us, we are task and goal oriented. When two men meet for the first time, the question naturally arises, "what do you do for a living?" 

Notice how Paul uses the principle of the sinful flesh, as something that he has put confidence in 

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

How God weakens the flesh/law of sin and death in us

Rom. 8:3-4 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.   

Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly for us because of the weakness of our flesh in regard of the law, which we can't keep for one second. In Christ, it's as if we kept the law perfectly. Objectively, factually, we no longer walk in the flesh in our union with Jesus, but in the Spirit. Whether you have seen combat overseas, observed or participated in terrible events here at home, or experienced abuse of various kinds, you have seen combat. 

My experience with my dad and his abusive behavior produced all kinds of resentment in me. The Vietnam war and the way our leaders prosecuted it created a lot of anger and bitterness in most of us, plus the way we were treated by so many misguided Americans when we rotated home. We swam in a sea of anger,  bitterness, and resentment.

2 Cor. 12:7-10 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (emphasis added)

Paul uses flesh in two ways. First, of the physical body: there was given me a thorn in the flesh. God gave Paul some type of physical ailment. Second: flesh is that dynamic principle or law of sin and death, producing the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16), that aspect of our nature that wants to exalt itself sinfully, even above God: to keep me from exalting myself!

Trials and suffering  weakens the flesh's influence on us

Because of this sin principle inborn in us, our flesh too often uses the good gifts of God to twist our understanding of various endeavors. For example, in our strength we receive a promotion. Great, but our flesh boasts in what we, of ourselves, earned it, even if we perchance, asked God for it. 

In our flesh, we have "a mind to put confidence in the flesh in our abilities. We can do that. To keep Paul from exalting himself (for whatever reason) and not God, the Lord gave him a thorn in the flesh. 

A lot of ink has been spilled over what the apostle meant by a thorn. What it was is not important for our purposes here. The fact is that God brought something into Paul's life that probably hurt.  Thus, "I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me." 

In other words, to weaken the principle of sin in Paul, God brought suffering into his life. God gave Jesus a crown full of thorns prior to His crucifixion. A thorn hurts and it becomes all pervasive. 

We can't stop thinking about how painful it is. Paul's thorn was given to  weaken his flesh, his pride in his being transported to the third heaven. There was something to boast about! 

Remember, promotions and achievements strengthens us. We have the right stuff. PTSD, on the other hand, weakens us. Paul asks the Corinthians, "For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (1 Cor. 4). We like strong. "Army Strong!", not Army Weak. The Marine Corps is looking for "a few good men," not a few weak men. We all understand the significance of these slogans. No one wants to be weak. Weak people don't get promoted, receive raises, etc. 

For Paul, 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless, was equivalent to "Army Strong."

Strong people rely on themselves, not God. They pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They discipline themselves for the task ahead. But Paul understands the implications of weakness and the progress of the Gospel in our lives. Fleshly self reliance promotes a fleshly self, not God. "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: `Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty (Zech. 4:6). Zerubbabel was told not to rely on military might in Israel's dire situation but on God. 

The law of sin/flesh is strong in us 

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me (Rom. 7; emphasis added). 

The previous six chapters of Romans and the present tense verbs of 7:14ff shows us that Paul is speaking of himself as a Christian. United to Christ, we are not "getting better." There are some sins that will make our lives miserable until we die.

The objective statement that leads to the all important question

Rom. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

God has provided a solution to the flesh's dominating principle of sin. Paul makes this objective statement, "24 Wretched man that I am!  Until we come to this conclusion by the Spirit's leading because of our inability to keep God's law perfectly (Mt. 5:20, 48) we won't ask the crucial $64 question: Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

Veteran Christian, do you put your efforts into your performance and in-depth introspection that focuses on you? Are you attempting to add to or merit justification? You might never admit that. You believe you are saved by grace alone through faith alone, except for the part that you may be trying to add. This kind of Christianity asks the question, have I done enough today with the right attitude? Did I get up early enough? Did I read my Bible enough? Pray enough? Witness enough? Help little old ladies across the street enough? Do I have an accountability partner? 

Scripture encourages Bible reading and prayer. However, when we start adding a list of actions that the Bible no where suggests, then we have moved into the arena of Catholic Pietism as many evangelicals have. (See my blogs on Pietism).

Do I have the qualities of which Peter speaks? Have I added enough moral excellence, enough knowledge, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness, and love today? If not, then haven't I regressed in my faith? Was I useless for God today? Unfruitful?

What you are asking is this: Is Jesus is enough? What do I need to add to my salvation? How much more do I need to step up my spiritual performance? You don't realize that you are becoming Roman Catholic in your faith and practice! You have fallen into the trap of Jesus plus something else. Do you see the wretchedness of such a life?

There is no rest in this version of wretched Christianity. This adds to the Christian veteran's and First Responder's PTSD burdens.

Addressing Wretched man that I am! honestly, will lead to the crucial question,

Who will set me free from the body of this death?" Mt. 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden (& wretched), and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (emphasis added)

"After conversion we need bruising so that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks. Even reeds need bruising, by reason of the remainder of pride in our nature, and to let us see that we live by mercy. Such bruising may help weaker Christians not to be too much discouraged, when they see stronger ones shaken and bruised. Thus Peter was bruised when he wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75). This reed, till he met with this bruise, had more wind in him than pith when he said, `Though all forsake thee, I will not' (Matt. 26:33). The people of God cannot be without these examples. The heroic deeds of those great worthies do not comfort the church so much as their falls and bruises do. Thus David was bruised until he came to a free confession, without guile of spirit (Psa. 32:3 5); nay, his sorrows did rise in his own feeling unto the exquisite pain of breaking of bones (Psa. 51:8). Thus Hezekiah complains that God had `broken his bones' as a lion (Isa. 38:13). Thus the chosen vessel Paul needed the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be lifted up above measure (2 Cor. 12:7)." (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (pp. 5-6). Unknown. Kindle Edition.) 

Greater freedom comes as God weakens the grip of this law of sin in us through "bruising" as Sibbs has it. The more sin has dominion over us, we continue to show ourselves enslaved to its principle that we have died to in Christ. We have been set free in union with Christ to this law of sin. We live under a different law now in Christ: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Rom. 8). Total freedom from our sinful flesh comes at death.

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations (2 Cor. 12:7),-- What revelations? For we who have not been caught up to heaven yet, Christ and His work are our surpassing great revelations. But in this life, For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me (Phil. 1:29). 

We are going to suffer in our union with Jesus Christ in this life. Why? Richard Sibbs in his The Bruised Reed (p. 71), wrote:

"In his (Jesus') desertion in the garden and on the cross he was content to be without that unspeakable solace which the presence of his Father gave, both to bear the wrath of the Lord for a time for us, and likewise to know the better how to comfort us in our greatest extremities. God sees fit that we should taste of that cup of which his Son drank so deep, that we might feel a little what sin is, and what his Son's love was." (emphasis added)

Weakening the flesh can only be accomplished by suffering in the flesh. This puts PTSD in a completely different light from what we might think or the one psychology gives it. Here's another surpassingly great revelation: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'”  God didn't run out of options with Paul, asking, "What do I do now with Paul?" Paul was caught up into Paradise by God Himself and Paul heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak (2 Cor. 12:4). 

Do we give any thought to this fleshly principle of sin in us? Receiving God's grace when we need to be patient and wait for something is fine. Agreeing in our spirit that PTSD and everything that goes with it is necessary to weaken our flesh's sinful desires is usually another thing all together. We don't want weakness. We want to do it ourselves, in our strength. Make it stop now! But what we fail to understand about the severity of traumatic stress's relationship to how powerful this law of sin is in us. Suffering exposes our flesh for what it is, sinful, anti-law, anti-Christ, anti-grace. 

"Some think, when they become more troubled with the smoke of corruption than they were before, therefore they are worse than they were. It is true that corruptions appear now more than before, but they are less." (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (p. 51). Unknown. Kindle Edition.) 

WHO ARE THE BRUISED REEDS? 

"But how shall we know whether we are such as may expect mercy ?

Answer: (1) By the bruised here is not meant those that are brought low only by crosses, but such as, by them, are brought to see their sin, which bruises most of all. When conscience is under the guilt of sin, then every judgment brings a report of God's anger to the soul, and all lesser troubles run into this great trouble of conscience for sin. As all corrupt humours run to the diseased and bruised part of the body, and as every creditor falls upon the debtor when he is once arrested, so when conscience is once awakened, all former sins and present crosses join together to make the bruise the more painful. Now, he that is thus bruised will be content with nothing but with mercy from him who has bruised him. He has wounded, and he must heal (Hos. 6:1). The Lord who has bruised me deservedly for my sins must bind up my heart again." (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (pp. 10-11). Unknown. Kindle Edition.) 

Christ: His Person

Mt. 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Mt. 9:36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Mt. 14:14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

Mt. 15:32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

Mt. 18:27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.Mt.

20:34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

PTSD for the believer is not about the believer, it's about leaving the pull of self and the flesh behind and coming to Christ. Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (pp. 67-69). Kindle Edition, wrote:

"Since Christ is thus comfortably set out to us, let us not believe Satan's representations of him. When we are troubled in conscience for our sins, Satan's manner is then to present Christ to the afflicted soul as a most severe judge armed with justice against us. But then let us present him to our souls as offered to our view by God himself, holding out a scepter of mercy, and spreading his arms to receive us. 

HOW WE SHOULD THINK OF CHRIST 

"When we think of Joseph, Daniel, John the Evangelist, we frame conceptions of them with delight, as of mild and sweet persons. Much more when we think of Christ, we should conceive of him as a mirror of all meekness. If the sweetness of all flowers were in one, how sweet must that flower be? In Christ all perfections of mercy and love meet. How great then must that mercy be that lodges in so gracious a heart? Whatever tenderness is scattered in husband, father, brother, head, all is but a beam from him; it is in him in the most eminent manner. We are weak, but we are his; we are deformed, but yet carry his image upon us. A father looks not so much at the blemishes of his child as at his own nature in him; so Christ finds matter of love from that which is his own in us. He sees his own nature in us: we are diseased, but yet his members. Who ever neglected his own members because they were sick or weak? None ever hated his own flesh. Can the head forget the members? Can Christ forget himself? We are his fullness, as he is ours. He was love itself clothed with man's nature, which he united so near to himself, that he might communicate his goodness the more freely to us. And he took not our nature when it was at its best, but when it was abased, with all the natural and common infirmities it was subject to.

"Let us therefore abhor all suspicious thoughts, as either cast in or cherished by that damned spirit who, as he labored to divide between the Father and the Son by jealousies, by saying, `If thou be the Son of God' (Matt. 4:6), so his daily study is to divide between the Son and us by breeding false opinions in us of Christ, as if there were not such tender love in him to such as we are. It was Satan's art from the beginning to discredit God with man, by calling God's love into question with our first father Adam. His success then makes him ready at that weapon still."

•When Christ seems to be our enemy: 

•He cannot restrain his bowels of mercy long.

•Faith pulls off the mask from his face and sees a loving heart under contrary appearances.

•At first he answered the woman of Canaan, who was crying after him, not a word. Then he gave her a denial. After that he gave an answer tending to her reproach, calling her a dog, as being outside the covenant. Yet she would not be so beaten off, for she considered the end of his coming.

•so Christ is never nearer us in power to uphold us than when he seems most to hide his presence from us.

•He cannot deny himself, he cannot but discharge the office his Father has laid upon him.

•The Father has given us to Christ, and Christ gives us back again to the Father.

What should we learn from this, but to `come boldly to the throne of grace' (Heb. 4:16) in all our grievances? Shall our sins discourage us, when he appears there only for sinners? Are you bruised? Be of good comfort, he calls you. Conceal not your wounds, open all before him and take not Satan's counsel. Go to Christ, although trembling, as the poor woman who said, `If I may but touch his garment' (Matt. 9:21). We shall be healed and have a gracious answer. Go boldly to God in our flesh; he is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone for this reason, that we might go boldly to him. Never fear to go to God, since we have such a Mediator with him, who is not only our friend but our brother and husband." (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (p. 9). Unknown. Kindle Edition.) 

Christ: His Work

Isa. 53:3-6 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

Think about your greatest achievements, i.e., those things you value the most. What's in your trophy case? Medals you won in the service? Awards or ribbons you won in sports or academics? Achievements at work? In your community? What's in your trophy case? Here's Paul's trophy case once more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. An Israelite couldn't have a higher pedigree than Paul.

And what did Paul experience in his suffering for Christ? 

2 Cor. 11:23-29 In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 

Phil. 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Phil. 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

"Yet, Paul says, Jesus was crucified in weakness. At the cross, Jesus chose a posture of weakness. 'Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished his mighty purpose by becoming weak,' preached Charles Spurgeon, 'through his weakness he became able to suffer, and to die—in order to save us from the thralldom of sin.'”

"Nothing could be weaker than hanging from the cross. His hands and feet sewn with nails to agony. His bare and broken body put on display for all to see. His lungs slowly, inescapably collapsing — one excruciating breath at a time. His enemies laugh, delighting in his dying. His friends withdraw and hide. He died between two hostile offenders: affliction and humiliation." (John Piper, "Death Was Crushed by Weakness," Desiring God. 

Conclusion

So, how do we put this together when the effects of our trauma create havoc in ours and other's lives? We are going to suffer and we are going to more than we want to. But remember, we who are His, will suffer for Jesus's sake. 

Col. 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (emphasis added)

"We should bear in mind that although Christ by means of the afflictions which he endured rendered complete satisfaction to God, so that Paul is able to glory in nothing but the cross (Gal. 6:14), the enemies of Christ were not satisfied! They hated Jesus with insatiable hatred, and wanted to add to his afflictions. But since he is no longer physically present on earth, their arrows, which are meant especially for him, strike his followers. It is in that sense that all true believers are in his stead supplying what, as the enemies see it, is lacking in the afflictions which Jesus endured. Christ’s afflictions overflow toward us. This interpretation is supported by passages such as the following:

• “If they called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household” (Mt. 10:25).

• “You shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake” (Mk. 13:13).

• “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.… But all these things will they do to you for my name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent me” (Jn. 15:18–21).

• “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?… I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4, 5).

• “The afflictions of Christ overflow toward us” (2 Cor. 1:5).

• “… always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:10).

• “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

• “… that I may know him … and the fellowship of his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10).

• “And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman because she had brought forth the male child” (Rev. 12:13)." (William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of Colossians and Philemon, vol. 6, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 87–88.)

Therefore, because Jesus suffered physically, we will suffer inwardly and physically with PTSD. But God has a purpose for our suffering. If the problem is our flesh or law of sin that causes us to do what we don't want to do, then suffering weakens the flesh. How is a positive result achieved?

In union with Christ in His death, we have died to sin so that we might live unto righteousness. In Jesus' resurrection, we rose with Him to newness of life. However, as we have read in Romans 7:14ff, the verb tenses are present. We still do the things that we don't want to do and don't do the things we truly want to do. Paul says, "22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. PTSD is one of God's tools that He brings to bear in this fight with our sin's fleshly desires. We will fight the law of sin in us until we die. We carry a dead body--the flesh, with us wherever we go. This gives traumatic stress meaning and purpose.

TEMPTATIONS WHICH HINDER COMFORT 

1. Some think they have no faith at all because they have no full assurance, whereas the fairest fire that can be will have some smoke. The best actions will smell of the smoke. The mortar wherein garlic has been stamped will always smell of it; so all our actions will savor something of the old man.

2. In weakness of body some think grace dies, because their performances are feeble, their spirits, which are the instruments of their souls' actions, being weakened. But they do not consider that God regards the hidden sighs of those that lack abilities to express them outwardly. He that pronounces those blessed that consider the poor will have a merciful consideration of such himself. (Sibbes, The Bruised Reed (p. 47). Unknown. Kindle Edition.)