Losing the Battle- Help

[Harvest77]

Hi All,

Iam going down fast and there is nobody here that understands PTSD or me. I tried to get some guidence
from the Pastor at my church and all I got was judged and stigmatized. I live in the Philippines been through that repeat exposure therapy and all it did was make things worse. Iam 100% PTSD I know that I am saved and I love the Lord, last night was the final blow, my wife also a Christian has been gosipping about me to our neighbors and the church ladies group. We had a huge fight lastnight and she let me know how worthless I am. I Pray and feel that my Prayers fall on deaf ears. I feel that my soul is gone and after last nights revelations I just want to check out! I have isolated myself for three years now and can't believe the attitude of the pastors here. I have talked to many and it is the same judgmental stuff.
"If you are a Christian you would not have PTSD and all related issues"!!! So I just can't take this anymore. I came here to serve the Lord and instead I am a POW in my own world.
Thanks and sorry to rant.

[ajusmc]

The last few months I have been working with a non-Veteran and her son. Her son was at point of no return and is now cleaning his mind and body of the demons that had taken him to the point of going over the edge, felt no one trusted or believed in him, he now knows that God is thier, giving him the strength to regain self strenghts. She has begun to believe in herself and has renewed her faith in God. One of the points that I made to her is that even though we fall under the laws of whatever country that we may be in, the final judgement will made by God.

One thing that I have found with working this site for 5+ years is that you can be a Christian with PTSD. It is those who have not taken time to understand it are the ones passing judgement against us that do.

Final thought, rant whenever you want, it may take a day or 2 but someone will answer.

God Bless

[177point5_Gunny]

First I want to say how much I admire your courage and persistence. You openly admitted to yourself and others what is plaguing you and although it seems like the people around you are unsupportive, you continue to seek the LORD with persistence! And with persistence comes perseverance.

I agree with AJ in saying that you are welcome to come here anytime to rant. We all are carrying burdens and need to release them from time to time. But take heart my brother in Christ because God is definitely listening. In times like these it is imperative that we remain close to the LORD and seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Always keep in mind what the bible tells us "He will never leave you nor forsake you" -Deuteronomy 31:6

Please don't ever give up or think of checking out because the LORD will not give up on you! In fact the bible also tells us in Exodus 14:14 "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Trust me, there were plenty of moments while new in my faith that I was unable to fight for myself or I felt that there was no fight left in me. I felt discouraged, vulnerable, and weak. But God has enough strength and hope for all of us.

For many Christians, the passages in the bible are more than words of encouragement. We find the bible to be God's love letters to us. Please, get into His word each day and allow for the mighty love of God to fill your heart.

We hope that you will come back again to this forum soon and often. Feel free to vent anytime. Let us know how you are doing. Someone is always on this site and will always reply back in a short while. You will be in my prayers this evening brother! Also know that you have many brothers/sisters in Christ who love you and are praying for you. You've now received replies from two so far.

In His Grip,
Den

"Psalm 23"
:cross_glo

Recommended links to help you on your journey:

Bible online - http://www.biblegateway.com/

Our Daily Bread Devotionals - http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml

Tim Gustafson Blog in the Phillipines: http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/author/tgustafson/

Bible Study Online - http://www.biblestudysite.org/

[danausmc]

God said King David was a man after his own heart and he was a pretty bad actor sometimes....and God forgave him each and every time but he never gave him a pass.
In the spiritual battle the devil will use every means possible to get you to blame God for whatever problems confront you. Remember Christians often shoot their wounded and I suppose you are no exception. Most of my friends and aquaintances have some level of PTSD and you know what? GOD is still in control. I continue to rely on Him, and He puts people in my path to hang with (fellowship) that actually listen.

Look around. Most people have no clue about being a warrior or what motivates anyone to run towards the gunfire instead of away. or why we would VOLUNTEER to do what is right.

Here is what you can do right now. Quietly......go sit somewhere and listen. Even if you don't hear anything right now...GOD is speaking to you. PRAY.

If you have skype you can call me on your computer. dana j. morgan or e-mail me at dana@pmim.org I can send you some stuff to read that will be helpful to you.

So you know, AJ is my real brother. we have another site at www.pmim.org too that has helpful info also.

don't be shy about coming on here. there are a lot of good folks just trying to make another day and give someone a hand.

[Harvest77]

Thank you all so much! I spent some time on R&R (Reading&Reflection), and things are better now. I need to keep reminding myself that this is a fallen world and to grow thicker skin and Soldier on. Or better yet put on the Armor of God. That is such a blessing helping that family get through that dark period. The most important part is allowing the Holy Spirit to use you to show them Who Christ really is!!!
God Bless you all and God thank You for this site!!!

[LT Blackheart]

You testimony breaks my heart. I think it is important to remember that the Evil One also works within the church. The reaction of the minister and your wife certainly does not represent scripture in both the Old and New testaments.

Your path to recovery and sanity is through Christ and performing the works that Christ asked us to do. I went for 26 years without counseling for my PTSD, and finally agreed to it along with a divorce after 26 years. Things went much better for the next 12 years, but I did not find any symbolance of peace until a started at the Pointman Outpost meetings 3 years ago. I have been carefully reading and studying the Word. I find that you need to read the entire Bible rather than relying on pieces of scripture. Once I completed my conversation with the Lord, he struck me with my first "flashback" 39 years after leaving combat. I am working mentoring young veterans to readjust economically and spiritually, and I think the Lord stuck me with the flashback so I can better. relate.

The bottom line is the Lord is in constant war with Satan over our souls. We need to be aware when Satan uses wives and ministers as unwitting 5th column adversaries.

God Bless You

[ddaniel727]

My Fellow Veterans,
I am a returning Special Operations veteran from Desert Storm, Desert Fox, Operation Deny Flight, Noble Eagle, and Iraqi Freedom II and III. I am experiencing some PTSD challenges in my life. I am a faithful and devoted Latter-Day-Saint prior to and since my service.
Please do not believe that because you are a believer that you will not nor should not experience the challenges that come from the brutal realities that we have experienced. Most who respond as such have never experienced what you have and are not qualified to diagnose your concerns in any manner.
I am currently lucky enough that I have a VA clinic that offers psychiatric assistance which I aggressively pursued after reading an article about a Marine Corporal that I served with who came home and turned to alcohol and drugs and ultimately took his life in a hotel room. I decided then and there that I would do all I can to see that no other veteran will feel that alone and lost if I can help them.
You have given a great part of your life to see that everyone around us has the freedom and liberty that we have experienced. The difference is you unselfishly served where most would not. Remember that you are not alone, there are many of us and we can help one another if we are willing to reach out. Once again, we need to depend on one another to get each others back in this attack as well as when we were in the field.
God bless and take care of you and yours.

Sincerely,

Daniel Daugherty, retired veteran :cart127:

[gsardokla]

"And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."
In this parable, Jesus used an example of seed, time, and harvest, which everyone understood, to illustrate truths about how God's Word works, which very few people understood.
First, He taught that God's Word has to be planted like a seed in our hearts.Just as a seed doesn't release its life until it is planted into the ground, God's Word will not set us free until we get it in our hearts. Having the Bible on our tables, in our hands, or in our heads is not sufficient; we have to commit God's Word to our hearts.
Second, the man in Jesus' parable, who sowed the seed, slept and rose day after day. It takes time for a seed to germinate. You can't plant a seed one day and expect to see it growing the next day. Just because there's nothing visible above ground doesn't mean the seed isn't growing.
If you dig it up every day to see if anything is happening, it will never grow. You have to have faith that the seed will do what it was designed by God to do, producing its fruit in its time.
The Word of God works the same way. When we meditate in God's Word for one day, we can't expect to see results the next day. And we can't meditate in His Word one day and then live differently the other six days. That's like digging up the seed.
John 15:7-8 says this:
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
Next, Jesus shared one of the most important truths of this parable. He said, "The seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how." This is an amazing statement. No one knows how a seed works.
Man, with all his understanding, has not unlocked the miracle of a seed. Things can be made that look like a seed, taste like a seed, and have the exact chemical elements as a seed, but if it's planted, it still won't grow. For thousands of years, people have planted seeds and reaped harvests without understanding how it all works.
I don't understand how the seed of God's Word planted in our hearts works either, and I can't explain how reading God's Word differs from reading the words of some other book. I don't comprehend it all, but I know it works. I've experienced the supernatural life that God's Word imparts.
The Word is a seed that contains the very life of God. When it's planted in your heart and left there, it will release that life. The only effort on your part is to take the time and make the effort to plant the seed. Then, the godly change you're looking for comes effortlessly as the seed of His Word takes root in your heart.
This is such a simple truth that most people have missed it. Many are looking for some spectacular encounter with the Lord that will transform their lives instantly. They want to microwave their miracle rather than allow the time for the seed to produce fruit.
Some are even willing to spend hours in prayer asking for a miracle instead of planting the Word of God in their hearts, which in time would produce the miracle. Prayer is what water and fertilizer are to a seed. They help the Word release its life. But if you haven't planted the seed, it doesn't matter how much water and fertilizer you apply, the soil still won't produce fruit. It's the seed that has life!
Prayer is not a substitute for planting the seed of God's Word in your heart. Prayer without the Word is religious at best and complaining at worst.
Romans 12:2 gives us another key to effortless change:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
The word "transformed" was translated from the Greek word metamorphoo, from which we derive the English word metamorphosis. It's describing the miraculous change of a worm to a butterfly. If we want to be changed in nature and appearance as drastically as a worm becoming a butterfly, the way we do it is by the renewing of our minds. God's Word is the primary way of accomplishing that.
In the natural, we recognize that we can't have a harvest without planting seeds. But in the spiritual, Christians try it all the time. Instead of going to the Word and meditating in the Scriptures themselves, they run to someone who has spent time in the Word and ask them for help. It's an attempt to shortcut the process of seed, time, and harvest.
Then, if they don't see results, they get confused and offended. God can meet needs through the faith of others, but it's temporary and His secondary way of touching us. God's best is to take the seed of His Word and plant it in our hearts where it will naturally and effortlessly produce the changes we desire.
http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/effortless_change

[figment]

thats not a rant, been awhile since your post just hope someone and you get the music that Jesus Loves You !!!!!!!!!!!!

[buckshot]

ddaniel727
thank you for serving this one nation under God. It is very important that you know the God you serve is the BIBLICAL GOD and not one conjurred up by the flesh and aided by "someone" who comes as an angel of light three times in the same night to get the message to the inventer of a religious works system because all denominations are in error except this one. I pray you trust the TRIUNE LORD GOD for salvation. i pray you hear his still small voice and put aside the heartburn in your bosom. It is very difficult but HE will draw you to himself. Nothing is too hard for the True and living and ONLY GOD.