Can Faith and Prayer Affect PTSD?

Hey Warriors,

Watch Dog here. I really hope that you are all doing well. Melissa and I are very excited about this upcoming year and the plans that we have in place to move Relentless Warriors Legacy further and be able to reach more people. One of the steps we are taking is that we have picked topics to cover each month. That means every Monday you will have a post about that month’s topic. Melissa and I will trade off each week giving our perspective on the topic. We agreed that Faith and Prayer would be a great way to start out this new year.

I love these topics paired together because I believe that they go hand in hand. I’m excited to cover this topic because it can remind me how important they are. Faith AND Prayer are extremely important in navigating through this rough brain injury known as PTSD! I will discuss how prayer and faith has helped me with PTSD.

Faith was and still is, a wonderful thing in my life, even when I didn’t realize it was faith I had. Stay with me here for a second. I wasn’t a Christian as a child, I knew that churches were those buildings that had a “t” on top of them. Even though I didn’t know why, I still always had a feeling that life was going to be okay. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” There was a short period of time when I lost faith, all faith. I didn’t see any hope in my life. I couldn’t see any way through. My life was over in my mind because I couldn’t see any way to keep going. Melissa and our children didn’t give up on me, even though I was ready to give up on myself.

It was because of my family that I kept on fighting. Matthew 17:20 says, “I say to you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” This passage in the Bible has really spoken to me. I have figured out that this passage is true, sometimes that mountain will be moved one pebble at a time though. To me this is a perfect example of faith, because it truly takes faith to understand that God is doing what we need in our life at his pace, not ours. Just because we do not see it, does not mean He isn’t working in our lives. When I look back over the last 20 years there are more than one mountain that God has helped me move.

Prayer is another huge part of healing this awful brain injury known as PTSD. I have a horrible prayer life, (just being honest, I’m working on being more consistent). Psalms 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” I have asked God “Why me” for 15 years without an answer. After I went through the Mighty Oaks Program, I asked God “Why did it take so long to find something to help?” That is when He answered me. Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatsoever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” I realized two things when God answered me. First, that I was asking the wrong question out of anger and desperation, not faith. Secondly, I was not ready for the answer until I had learned what I learned through the Mighty Oaks Programs. God gave me an answer to a question I thought he was never going to give me the answer to.

Through my PTSD journey I have had to face many demons, many giants, and I have been lost inside myself. I have a great support system in my wife and children, and with my church family, and most importantly in God Himself. The issue was I was so lost and so scared to ask for help, that I could not see the support around me. I was so scared, and thought I could do it on my own, and because of that I almost lost it all. I was so afraid of PTSD that I told Melissa to “take the boys and go, and we’ll get this over with now.” I thought it was a death sentence, thank God Melissa had faith in me when I didn’t. God let me know why I suffered so much for so long. He has a use for me, to reach you!

Lawrene “Watch Dog” McGuire

We’re Fighting This Together.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please leave comments or questions for Melissa, me or both of us.

Start the Year off with Faith and Prayer!

Hey Warriors! Melissa here!!

Happy 2023!! Yes, it has been a while, but we are back and ready to roll for the New Year. Lawrence (Watch Dog) and I have planned out the year with lots of interesting topics and how it applies to PTSD. I hope you all are ready for what God is giving us and that it will touch your heart and mind and create change and healing in your life!

We are starting off each month with a new topic. The first blog post of each month will give a clear definition of what we are talking about for the month and then each week Lawrence and I will tell you all how it applies to our lives and how it might apply to yours. We are diving deep into some amazing topics and sharing our lives with PTSD with you.

Our topic for January is FAITH and PRAYER. We feel like these can go hand in hand and are essential for managing PTSD. I hope you are ready for some hard truths and conversations cause here we go!!

The definition of FAITH is 1.) complete trust or confidence in someone or something and 2.) Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Do you have that all-in kind of faith, or do you struggle with it? Do you believe that believing is seeing or seeing is believing? Hard questions, right? I have a few friends who have faith that is so strong, that it seems like they never waver. It is an amazing thing to see.

What does God have to say about Faith? Let’s take a look!

In 2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” and in 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” God wants us to be firm in our Faith. To have Faith even though we have not seen the signs and wonders that the Bible talks about.

Here is another question. Do you have faith in yourself or in others? Can you trust? That thought is a whole different ballgame. Faith in something you cannot see is one thing, but faith in those around you is different. People are human and can let you down. What about Faith in your relationships? Do you have those ride or die people in your life? I have a few but I am very selective about who I let in my circle. You see trust for me is complicated and having Faith period, has always been really hard for me. That’s a story for another day (actually in a few weeks from now I will be telling you about my experience with Faith and how it has gotten me where I am today). Faith is something that many struggle to grasp but it is a big part in moving forward if you have PTSD.

Something that can go hand in hand with Faith is Prayer. What exactly is prayer?? Prayer is a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. It is an earnest hope or wish. Sounds comforting right?? When you pray though, you have to have faith your prayers are being heard. That does not mean they will be answered in a way you want them to.

Do you pray? What do you pray for? Do you have Faith that your Prayers are being heard? I love prayer and consider myself an intercessory prayer warrior! That is someone who prays hard for others. My struggle is praying for myself, but remember I also struggled with my faith too.

God has some interesting verses about Prayer. Here are just a few! Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (That is my favorite verse!) Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This verse talks about prayer and faith and they depend on each other. It truly is amazing how God gives us great verses to guide and help us with hard topics like Faith and Prayer

We want you to take an honest look at the questions we are asking. Take a good hard look at your Faith and your Prayer life, if you have one (no judgment here!! That’s not our job!). We just believe that when dealing with PTSD, faith and prayer are very important. So, this is where we want to start especially with the New Year. Why not build a great foundation to get us through the rest of the year.

Please join us next week when Lawrence will dive into his personal experience with faith and how his faith journey has affected his PTSD.

Please follow us on our other social media platforms!

Thank you

Melissa

Anger isn’t always Anger

Hello Warriors, Watch Dog here.

I used to be a very angry person and I still am at times. I didn’t know why because when I was younger, I was always in a good mood. I loved to laugh, joke, and just enjoy everything. I was always the one person who found the good in everything. I didn’t even have to try. It was just who I was.

I’m not sure when I let anger in or exactly what caused it. Heck, I don’t even know if it happened in the blink of an eye or if the anger took time to take me over. I do know that anger did take me over completely. It dug its claws in me and controlled me, for a lot of years.

If I’m being honest, anger still has a grip on me and comes out from time to time, even when I don’t want it to. Over the past few years, I have learned to take back control. (Not all of it, YET) I have learned one very important fact about anger. That fact is this, most of the time anger isn’t even anger. Are you confused yet?

I’ll try to explain. For many years I lived my life knowing 2 emotions, happy and angry (Well pissed off). I would switch from one of those emotions to the other in the blink of an eye. I was ready, willing, and able to take on one of those emotions. If that emotion was anger, I was also ready and willing to hurt someone too. Most of the time I did not have a good reason for that kind of anger. It was just all I knew, and I did not know how to control it.

I have done a lot of soul searching and self-reflection over the past 3 or 4 years. I figured out that most of the time I wasn’t even angry! (Confusing isn’t it) I had a Chaplin Friend introduce me to an Emptions Wheel. If you do not know what this is, look it up, download it, and print one out for you to keep on hand. I learned that in a lot of situations where I felt anger, I wasn’t even angry. It was some other emotion, but it would come out as anger. It was just an emotion I knew, so I used that instead of trying to understand what I was really feeling.

The truth is I used anger to cover other emotions that are not “acceptable” for men to feel. You know, because men aren’t allowed to have feelings or emotions! (Sarcasm) Some of these emotions that anger masked were Fear, Confusion, Feeling Alone, Lost, or even the Unknown. It was easier being angry or mad than it was to be scared.

Anger can have physical effects on your health, I experience headaches, high blood pressure, and trouble sleeping just to name a few. But anger does so much more also, it prevented me from experiencing Joy, Happiness, Comfort, Compassion and Peace. I was never able to be Calm or Confident (Tough one to admit) or know Love (for my-self and for others). I realize that I was not truly living.

Anger was my comfort zone. I would look for reasons to get angry. Sometimes it was just so I could feel comfortable and feel like I had control over something. It was fake comfort and didn’t make me feel good. It just made me look like a jerk and embarrassed my family.

Wow, I wish I knew then what I know what I know now. Learning how to label and identify my emotions has made all the difference. That’s where that Emotion Wheel comes in. I can look at all the emotions on it and then decide from there exactly which ones I am feeling. Communication has been key, but prior to knowing how to label different emotions it was impossible. Making sure that what I heard is what was actually said. I’ve realized that I don’t always have to be the tough guy. I can still be that guy if I need too, but I don’t have to be. It is because of these things that I can be the man that my wife and kids want to be around. It is a much better way to live!

Once I reached that point in my life when anger was all I could feel, I stayed there for a long time, a very long time. I lived in that state of anger for so long that I am still trying to get out of it. I do not want to be that person anymore. I want to be the man that my wife fell in love with. The man who has compassion for others. The man with a good heart and the most important thing is a man who follows God and doesn’t worry about my pride. It’s been about 4 years now, but I am becoming a better man day by day. I am becoming the dad that my children are happy with, and the husband that my wife always wanted. I am becoming the man that God created me to be.

I still have work to do to overcome the anger that took me over, but I’m better today than I was yesterday. Seeing my family happy and knowing that they stood by me is the motivation I need to keep working to better my-self. God is allowing me to reach other so I can’t give up. My family continues to support me, so I won’t quit. This has been extremely hard and continues to be hard, but it is worth the fight! I am finally truly living.

God Bless you all.

;IGY6

No One Fights Alone!

Watch Dog

We are Relentless Warriors Legacy

It has been a while since we have posted things on here so we thought it would be a great idea to reintroduce ourselves and tell you what Relentless Warriors Legacy (RWL) all is about.

My name is Lawrence McGuire, AKA Watch Dog. I have been in the Fire Emergency Service for 22+ years. I spent just under 14 years on Active Duty in the United States Air Force, and another 1.5 years in the Air National Guard. During that time, I deployed 3 times along with a 1-year remote tour. I medically retired out of the Military in 2016. I continue to work in the Fire Service as a Fire Inspector/Firefighter to this day. God has given me a chance to share my experiences to offer hope to others.

My name is Melissa McGuire, AKA Relentless. I run the social media side of RWL. My other jobs include being a wife and mom, doing all the social media for our church, learning to run sound for our services, and Direct Support Person.

Lawrence and I have been married for over 21 years and we have three boys. We started RWL a few years ago because of the battles we both have faced with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. PTSD has had serious effects on our marriage and our home. We have gone to counseling separately and together and really fought for ourselves and our marriage. Now God has put us in the position to help other marriages and individuals to thrive with PTSD instead of struggling and battling it.

Why the name Relentless Warriors Legacy? We did not take picking a name for our ministry lightly. After much thought, and a ton of thinking, and a lot of prayer, we decided on Relentless Warriors Legacy, or RWL for short.

Relentless means oppressively constant, incessant. Harsh or inflexible. To be Relentless is to push forward, never give up, and not stop until you reach the place you want to. Melissa chose this as her road name years ago because that is how she is in relationships and in other aspects of her life. When it comes to PTSD you have to be relentless in finding the things that will help you heal. You have to be willing to not stop until you are thriving with PTSD, and it is just something you have but not something you are.

Warrior means brave or experienced soldiers or fighters. Someone who is engaged in some kind of struggle or conflict. You have to be a warrior to fight PTSD. You have to be a warrior for yourself and your relationships. You have to be a warrior for your life. The fight with PTSD can be long and hard but worth it. There are ways to fight and win. PTSD is not the end all be all.

Legacy means a piece of one’s history left behind for the following generations to experience. If you are a parent, you want to leave a legacy for your children. What will that legacy look like? Are you happy with the answer to that question? I know when we were asked that question, we were not happy with the answer we gave so we decided to change the legacy we will leave.

Each of these words separately have good strong meanings, but when you put them together, they are words that can make you feel unstoppable. Relentless Warriors Legacy means that you are an incessant, never quitting warrior who is fighting a battle to make sure you can leave behind a positive history our following generations can be proud of and draw strength from.

We want people to know that they can fight PTSD and not give up until they are thriving. We added the S to warriors because we do not have to fight alone. We battle together and help each other.

All of us have something to fight for. Beit yourself, family, job, friends, anything at all. They are all worth fighting for.

This all is something we do with God’s help. God gave us the ministry for his glory, mercy, and healing. We would not be where we are today without God’s help.

Relentless Warriors Legacy is a Peer Lead, Biblically Based, PTSD Support Ministry. Its purpose is to help marriages and individuals who struggle with PTSD. We do this by sharing our own personal experiences with PTSD and offer what worked for us and other resources to help manage and heal PTSD.

Thank you for joining us and meeting us. Please join us each week for posts about different aspects of PTSD and the things we have been through. We are starting a series about ANGER to get things rolling. Check back next week to find out more.

Lawrence and Melissa McGuire

New Year, New Word

Hello Warriors!

Melissa here!!

I know it has been a while. We have had a busy life of hockey, archery, and the holidays. Then we all got sick. But of course, not all at once. Nope one at a time. So for the last month at least one person out of the five of us in our house has been sick. So, we are sorry for the long break, but we are back at it.

The last few years I have picked a word for that year. This word is what I strive for in all aspects of my life for the year. Some people put great thought into it, and some go with their gut instinct from the get go. The last two years I have gone with my gut instinct to pick my word.

In 2020, my word was Relentless. Fitting right!! 2020 was hell for a lot of people and really hard to get through. The same way for me but I wanted to be relentless for myself. Put the time in on myself. I worked on my mental health a lot and that part continued into 2021.

The word I chose for 2021 was Accomplished. What a great word to go for right!! I know a lot of people who really struggled through 2021, but I was not one of them for the most part. My struggle was different than others. It was a big year of growth for me in several areas of my life. 2021 brought on great healing mentally and emotionally in ways I could have never imagined. It all was truly amazing, and I can see the growth I have had coming into the new year with a difficult January. Lawrence and I accomplished a lot with RWL and are making big plans for the future. I started a YouTube channel for my craft blog and have put up several videos. Plus became a consultant for Lemongrass Spa and hit the bonus sales marks for my first 3 months. Those are all big accomplishments, and I am satisfied with how I pushed myself to reach my word for last year.

The biggest accomplishment though has been in my walk with God. He has showed up for me in ways I never thought possible. Bringing people in my life to help me grow closer to him. Learning what it’s like to have the relationship with him that I want. Truly seeing what is meant by blind, unwavering faith. Knowing that God is really walking with me in my day-to-day activities. God purged me of all the grief, self doute, worthlessness, and anger that I have felt for so long. He did not let me stay stagnant. For the first time in my life, I could feel my faith growing stronger and it made me want more!!

Well, that brings us to 2022!! It is currently February 4th and I have just recently decided on my word for this year. I had a hard time deciding on one. So, I turned to a few different websites to find one. Drum Roll Please!!!!! ACCEPT. My word this year is Accept. Accept that I cannot control things. Accept that things are going to happen and move forward even if I am terrified for them to happen. It is the perfect word for me because I have a son graduating from high school in just a few short months and I am really struggling with it all.

I know I am a control freak. My husband and kids call me Kim Jung-Un. You could say that it is in my personality. Combine that with the fear of losing those around me, sometimes the anxiety of it all is crippling. That is the whole point in concentrating on a word though, for the year. One that can really help me focus on an area that really needs some work.

I have seen the growth I have had the last two years and that makes me excited for the growth in a different area of my life this year.

Do you pick a word to work on each year? If so, what is it? Try to keep a journal of the progress you are making with your word through the year so you can see the work you have put in. Happy WORD hunting!!!

Melissa McGuire

Relentless

Relentless Warriors Legacy

Frustration

Hey Warriors,

Its Melissa. Have you ever had one of those weeks where you accomplish some really great things but they are over shadowed by all the crap that has been thrown at you. I am in one of those weeks. How do you deal with it? How do you find the joy even when it is really hard to see it?

This week Lawrence and I had a speaking engagement and it went great. I also put out my second YouTube video for my crafting channel. I did all the work myself and I was really proud of myself. It gave me a great since of accomplishment. It was all amazing.

Also this week one of our friends got Covid so two of our sons had to get tested. One of our boys tested positive. Its not that we are worried. We honestly feel like what symptoms he did have has passed and he is at the end of it. Here is where some of the frustration comes in. My oldest is missing his first official hockey game of his senior year. Its no ones fault. It just is what it is. All of this is also over Halloween and we have a little one who still trick or treats.

That was just one part of my day. The other thing that happened is that I have had a medical issue that I was praying for a solid answer and treatment plan which I didn’t really get either of. It is a double edged sword to be honest. I am grateful for all of my testing to come back normal but on the other hand I still know something is up with my body and now I am back at square one.

I will say I am not handling any of this stuff gracefully. I am angry, frustrated, sad, exhausted, and want to give up at the moment and just let life pass me by without me putting in any more effort. This is how I have felt for a few weeks. I have not had a lot of big breakthroughs and feel like I am just getting pushed backwards. Seems like lots of things just want to set me back. So what do I do?? How do I try to push past all these feelings??

Well first off tomorrow is a new day for something big to happen. I know that noting will happen if I don’t at least try. Some days this is a fake it till I make it kind of thing. All those feelings are still there but I have to make the choice to make it a better day. That choice is important. You chose the kind of day you will have. Now just because I chose to get up this morning and try to have a great day, does not mean that is the day I had. Today wore me down and my choice for a good day faded away quickly. I allowed all the crap to get to me. Now I feel worse than I did this morning because I feel bad for letting my day go the way it did. Its a crazy cycle.

The next thing I can do is put some self care in my day. I will go take a hot bath or go in my craft room. I can even read a book. Just something to relax me and finish out my day a bit better. Self care needs to be a priority in your life not just for when things are going wrong but also to make sure you do not get overwhelmed and burnt out.

Try to take a step back and see what things you can control. I know I can not control Covid. That one is completely out of my hands. I can somewhat control what I do about the medical issue. I am not willing to just suck it up and deal with it or have parts of my body removed. Going to a different doctor is something that is in my control. I also have full control over what I choose to do next. What I choose to do tomorrow. So I do have some control over things.

Everyone has bad days. Everyone gets frustrated. It is how you deal with it that matters. Like I said, right now I am not handling things gracefully. I am spending a lot of time wallowing in my self pity. I do have the choice to make tomorrow better. You have that choice too. It might not be easy but it will be worth it.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Thank you for coming back to our blog. Please Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe!! It all really helps us reach more people.

Have a wonder weekend,

Melissa McGuire (Relentless)

I am 1 in 4

Hello Warriors,

Melissa here. I know it has been a while. Life happens. We have been spending lots of time together as a family since our oldest son is in his senior year of high school and will be leaving for college before we know it. I have also been battling a health issue that has put me down and out a lot over the last few months. Today is one of those days though that honestly I need to get my thoughts out of my head and thought that someone could feel the same as I do.

Today is one of those days that most of the time only a mom remembers. It is one that is etched into our brains and something that does not go by without knocking the wind out of us. I am talking about the due date we are given with the expectation that we would be bring a beautiful baby home. But for 1 in 4 pregnancies that does not happen.

October 22nd was suppose to be a wonderful day for our family (well a day close to that date). It was the given due date for our twin boys. We did not get that joy though because I miscarried them and delivered them on April 28th at only 14 weeks old. These boys that we named James Theodore and Gunner Dean were taken before they had a chance to really live or so it seems. I know they are in heaven with my parents and other family loving every bit of attention and love they are getting but that does not mean I don’t miss them with my fiber of my being.

We do celebrate their birthday in April every year but there is no celebration on their actual due date. It is just an empty day with the horrific reminder of the loss we have had. The loss I have had. It is one thing to have lost my parents but the devastating loss of my babies has been a whole other realm of hurt and deep heartache. I can not imagine the pain of losing a child once they have been on this earth because this hurt has been enough for 10 life times.

Today just hurts and takes my breath away. I will say that I have made a lot of progress in grieving the loss of my twins. Working through the day we lost them in April was the best thing that could have happened. Recognizing that today is just one of those days where I have to give myself the grace needed to get through the day and that it is okay to not be okay for a day or two but I can not live in it. That is exactly what I am doing. Giving myself time and grace. I have spent the day on the couch. I have had a headache all day. I took a shower hoping it would make me feel more like myself but I was wrong. So I will continue to process the day and know that it is okay to do that.

I know that this is a pain I will not fully heal from until I am reunited with my babies in heaven. Until then I will what I feel unapologetically and loudly because it is okay to talk about. A lot of women feel ashamed and scared to talk about losing their sweet babies because it is not something that is often talked about. This is a safe space though and I will always talk about my miscarriage and how it has impacted my life.

So to all the women out there who are 1 in 4, I am sorry. I am sorry you did not get to bring home your sweet baby. To all those who lost their babies once they were on this earth, I am sorry. Know that I see you and I hear you. Your pain is not lost and is something you truly feel. A loss is a loss, no matter when that loss happens. Take the time you need to grieve. Give yourself grace and time to process and heal. Be okay with not being okay. And know that you are not alone.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss month. So celebrate your sweet babies and lean on God for strength and comfort. Know that he sees your pain.

Psalm 34:18New International Version

¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

We will be posting again more regularly. Lawrence and I have had a few speaking engagements which have been amazing and we are still doing our monthly meeting. Please see our Facebook page for those dates and times.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I know it is a hard and personal topic to talk about. Please Like, Share, and Comment. Also subscribe so that you will not miss future posts.

Melissa McGuire (Relentless)

Sinking in Sand? or Walking Water?

Hey there Warriors, Watch Dog here.

I’m excited to be writing this post. This has been a tough one for me to write. I haven’t been the greatest head space the last few weeks. The issue is, I didn’t know I was projecting onto my family. There have been a lot of changes in the Watch Dog/Relentless household. I have been very frustrated with my job for quite a while, and I have been bringing that frustration home with me. A few weeks ago I was offered a new job, which brought on more stress. I have worked in 13 different fire departments over the past 22 years. So changing jobs isn’t really a big deal to me but this job is different. There has been a fear of the unknown as this is the first time I have worked in a career field outside the fire department. I believe that if you aren’t moving forward you are moving backwards. For the past few years I realized that I had no room to advance in the FD unless I moved again. I have felt like I was sinking in sand for the past few years.

Have you ever felt like you were sinking in the sand? Like you just can get anywhere or that you can not change you mind set. Its like your sinking in wet sand and you can not figure out how to dig out of it. Well that is how I have felt over the last few years with my job. I do not want to be sinking in the sand though, I want to have faith and walk on water. I want to be successful and happy. If you are walking on water then you are at the top of your game!! Isn’t that where we all want to be?

I believe that God has led me to this new job. I was sinking in sand the last few years and now with this new job, I am advancing in a new career with plenty of upward mobility. In other words it feels like I am walking on water. This is a career I know very little about and I didn’t know what to expect. Just like Peter did in the Bible, I stepped out of the boat (accepted the job) but fear of the unknown is where I started to sink (emotionally). I had a lot of fear and doubt about being able to do the job. My new boss is a man of God and has ensured me that he has confidence in me. Since starting the new job, I feel a lot less stress, more relaxed and there is less anxiety in me. I work more hours but I am more present when I’m home, and family time is better.

I said all that to make this point. I believe that firefighting is what I was meant to do. I did for 22 years, I got to live my dream. Following God, and having the courage to take a new path in life, I feel better about my future and the future of my family. This is similar to how I felt when I received help with PTSD. I was nervous about the treatment not working and being let down again like I had been several times over. Keeping the faith and having the strength to keep moving forward and not giving up can change your life for the better. PTSD ruled my life for many years, but by not giving up, and having a great support system in my life, I am able to live my life well. With PTSD controlling my life for years, I was sinking in sand, but I started walking on water when I found a way to take control back.

Please, if you feel lost, you are in dark place, in a storm, remember that every storm eventually runs out of rain. Every bad season will change. If you feel like you are alone and no one cares about you, try to remember that God loves you and He will never leave you. He will place people in your life just when you need them. All you gotta do is trust Him, and DO NOT EVER GIVE UP, keep moving forward. Don’t accept what the devil wants you to believe. Seek help and don’t stop, even if what you try doesn’t work at first. There is something out there that will work, you have to work to find it.

Keep fighting the good fight. Don’t ever give up. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Don’t let pride keep you from asking for help.

Watch Dog

;IGY6

NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!

If this touched you or you think someone you know could benefit or be encouraged, please share. Please like and comment too.

God Bless!

GRATITUDE

Hello Warriors, Watch Dog here.

I think sometimes it is hard to be grateful. It should be easy to be grateful, but it isn’t always that easy. There is so much negativity in the world today, that sometimes the negative blocks out what we should be grateful for. If you think you have nothing to be grateful for, you are wrong. You live in America, you have a roof over your head, you have food to put in your stomach. If you have breath in your lungs, you have a reason to be grateful.

There are times I feel like I am a failure in life! I feel like I am a failure as a son, as a husband, as a daddy, as a firefighter and just as a human being! That is the devil working on me. These are the times that I have to remember the love God has for me. That is something to be grateful for, for sure. One thing I am very grateful for is my wife! Relentless has stood my side when even I said she should leave me. I am so grateful for her love for me. There is no doubt that she is a gift from God to me. I am trying to learn how to show this appreciation.

It is important to remember, that no matter how dark things get, how bad things seem, that just a little faith even the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains. You are never alone, God is always on your side, you just have to trust in Him! It isn’t always easy. At times it is down right hard and seemingly impossible, but it isn’t! God starts when impossible starts. You can’t be angry or upset or sad the same time you are being grateful. Always find something to be grateful for. If you ever wonder if your purpose on earth is done, if you are still breathing, it isn’t! God can still use you, no matter what you have done. I joke a lot when I say, “Everyone is good at something, I am a great bad example.” I have not always lived a righteous life. I still struggle with this, but I am trying to be better today than I was yesterday. I am grateful that God will forgive and has forgiven me for all my faults. I am grateful that Jesus died on the cross for me even though I don’t deserve it.

NO FIGHTS ALONE!

Always be grateful and thankful!

Watch Dog.

;IGY6

Lost

Hello warriors, Watch Dog here,

Have any of you ever just felt, lost? I know I have, and here recently it been a rough go for my-self and Relentless also. We feel like life has gotten in the way for both of us. Everything from work, school, kids, sports, health, friends, vehicles and it seems like everything else that life can think of to through at us has gotten in our way. We have both been physically and mentally exhausted.

Today I was ready to give up and tell my boss off and just walk away from my job. (When I get tired, I tend to have a very short fuse) However I was able to keep my wits about me. Instead of reacting the way every fiber in my body wanted to, I was able to take a step back and take a breath. I asked God to help me stay calm, and just control myself. I went and did some work, stayed away from the boss for a bit and calmed down. Am I still upset, yes, do I still want to blow up, yes. However I am trying to keep in mind that it might not be my boss’s fault, he might be under some stress as well.

I realized that I haven’t been spending time in the good book, I haven’t been spending much time in prayer either. Which is crazy because God has recently opened a door for me that I couldn’t have imagined opening even just a year ago. I was able to step back today a realize I have been lost this past week, ALLOWING life to get in the way. Right now I am sitting here writing this BLOG because I am making myself make time for this. This cause is my passion, this is something God has given me, He has given me the honor to use my life experiences to help others. My choice right now is to stop the world, even just for a little while, and do this, because God has given it me, and I find joy it.

Will tomorrow be stressful, probably, but if I remember to look to God, I can get through it. I said all that to say this, When you feel lost, look to God. Ask God to “Quiet your world around you, and to open you up, to hear what He wants!” Look to God for comfort. Don’t be surprised if you do this and you receive a call from or run into an old friend that will put you in a good mood. It’s not a coincidence. It might be how God chooses to help you. God is good all the time, and He will help you when you need it, it just might not be how you expect.

God will guide you when you are lost, if you let Him. He will guide you, always if you will listen. When the world gets in the way, and before you know it, you are lost, don’t be afraid. Take a step back, take breath, quiet your world and listen to God!

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? Luke 14:34

In other words, life is good and working hard is good, but if work and life gets in the way and you feel lost (Lose your savour) God can re-season you.

For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

When you are lost, in your own head, or overwhelmed by life or the world, the Son came to seek and find you!

Watch Dog.

;IGY6

NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE