Why am I happier when I forget about God?

faroukfarouk

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?
Remember: a seared conscience might be more comfortable in the short term ... but only in the short term ... so it's to be avoided; and we should pursue gladly what we know from the Scriptures, right?
 
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Smylie

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You knew you did wrong by ignoring your praying, God, the Bible, etc. and that's why you started feeling anxious and depressed. Out of sight, out of mind. When you were talking to people and dealing with your social anxiety, you were not thinking of anything besides just getting through conversations, being around people, etc. but you realized something was missing- you knew you did wrong.

Also, I'm willing to bet that you have a lot of questions about God, Jesus Christ, etc. that have yet to be answered, and it's bothering you/making you over-think and causing your brain to react in a negative way.
 
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God is good!

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?


Hi,

I know exactly what you're going through. I may be going through it right now except I'm not enjoying the world. The reason why you are feeling better after socializing is that of its happiness, not joy. Happiness happens at the moment but joy is kept eternally. There is discipline and healing when you wait out his plan for you. Just like recovering from alcohol poisoning, there is something about a change in the body that adjusts to either bad or good. But this transition is determined either of good or bad. (its part of the trial/testing for growth) We need to be in the good even if it's not giving us happiness at the moment. We must persevere and recover from our old ways so we can become new. The anxious feeling just means you have to give up yourself and surrender and bring him praise. Allow him to take over your burdens; do you believe he can move the mountains? But you have to choose to do this even if its hard. We are not of this world so we must choose to be apart from the dark. Keep being the light even if there are struggles because it's not a bad struggle compared to what the world is struggling with. Concur because it has already been done on the cross.

-your sister in Christ.
 
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S.O.J.I.A.

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?

I don't think you're making the correct correlations here.

you felt happy and your self confidence improved because you spent a week connecting with other humans beings, something that you have struggled with. that should make you happy and such connection is what God intended for human beings and overcoming personal obstacles will make anyone feel better about themselves.

your "coldness" comes from the fact that you are neglecting your spiritual life and this has caused you to slip back into sinful habits. this would disprove your assertion that you are happy when you forget about God. I would even say this is a good sign as it shows that your conscience is still working.

understand that you can have both. you can connect with people as well as tend to your spiritual life.
 
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thesunisout

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?

Hi Ben,

Don't take this the wrong way, but if your feelings decide whether you are going to follow God or even believe in Him, you will end up doing neither. It isn't always going to feel good to follow God. It isn't always going to be easy to do what He wants. Everything inside you may say to do something different, and sometimes you will really have to fight yourself and your feelings to do the right thing. If someone told you being a Christian would be a cakewalk, they straight up lied to you.

The reason that you came to God, I am assuming, is because you came to the realization that you're a sinner who is heading to hell without a Savior. You became a Christian because you believe that Jesus Christ is that Savior. Those facts don't change or have anything to do with how you feel. You wouldn't believe something like that just because you felt good about it, would you? No, you came to believe those things because you had the conviction that those things are true.

You've got to decide to follow God regardless of how you feel because He is real and it is the right thing to do. You've also got to realize that your enemy, Satan, is working on you non-stop to delude you into going back the other way.

Are you in fellowship anywhere? Do you attend church? You need to be discipled Ben. What that means is that you need a Christian mentor who can teach you how to walk with the Lord. I would start praying that God would lead you to that person. If you are going to church, ask your Pastor about it. Find a good bible study or Christian organization where you could volunteer. You've got to walk this out and you will need help to do it.
 
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FireDragon76

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Let me suggest to you, your Christian life should not be about overcoming sin, but finding new opportunities to express gratitude and love.

Holiness theology can become a kind of poison, sadly, where people think they must be getting better and better before God can love them and accept them. As an a Lutheran, I find that deeply problematic, because it can leave people robbed of the peace, joy, and freedom that is their right as a Christian. There is nothing wrong with piety and seeking to live a holy life, but when it overpowers our understanding of the Gospel as God's forgiveness given as a free gift to us through faith, then we are building a house on shifting sands.

If im socialising with a human being and enjoying their company, I am enjoying THEM and not GOD.

This is where Lutheran sacramental theology could make sense of things. There is actually no discontinuity between friendship and loving God, since God can be present in our friendships also. We do not have to think about God all the time to trust that God is present in our lives.

God is plentitude, he does not have any room in his being for privation or lack: he does not get jealous or injured by lack of attention. If anything, he is waiting to fill our lives in hidden ways, if we trust in him.
 
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royal priest

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Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 Jn 4:20
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me. Matt 25:45

There are more..but see how God identifies Himself with His people. From the very beginning, He identifies Himself as, 'The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob'. So don't be anxious about having to choose between God and His people, 'For in him we live and move and have our being' Acts 17:28
Ben,
As simplistic as it may sound, it is true that the Word of God has all of the answers to our problem of sin. It is something that every one of us has to deal with.
One important text to help us understand the spiritual effects of sin is Jeremiah 17:9.
Sin is such a part of our nature, Job 15:14-16, that God's holy presence makes us feel ashamed. Luke 5:8.
This is a natural response since sin makes us God's enemies. Isaiah 59:2; Ephesians 2:3.
But this why there is the Gospel. Jesus Christ is God's provision so that we can actually relate to God as a Father who loves His children. What relationship can be happier than this? John 14:6; Luke 11:11-13;

As far as anxiety, our worries are just another manifestation of sin. It is that deceitfulness of our sinful hearts telling us something is wrong or something bad will happen without reasonable justification. Luke 12:25-26. Dealing with sin amounts to learning how to trust God, 1 Peter 5:6-7. We do this by comprehensive prayer, Philippians 4:6-7; and stubbornly applying His Word to our hearts and lives, Psalms 119:11. It is living in Christ and looking to Him for the power to be delivered from our sin now to some degree and eventually once and for all. Philippians 4:11-13; John 15:5; 1 John 3:1-3

We will be praying for you, Ben. God bless.
 
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Rescued One

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If I ever thought God was like my father, I'd would have been hindered in becoming a Christian. God has never told me to do wrong. I'm saddened when family members make excuses for sin; however I don't have contempt for them. Forgiving others is the only way I can live with myself; I wasn't taught forgiveness as a child. My relatives held grudges. I'm grateful for the lessons I learned from that. I'm even amazed that others don't see the things I see.

Do you view God as an angry Father Who is waiting to punish you? I don't see Him that way at all.
 
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Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?
It is probably because you have the wrong god and are more concerned about your feelings then the truth. If you are enjoying sin more than a relationship with the Lord, you need to examine what it is you claim to have put faith in because there is nothing wrong with God. If something is wrong, it is with you and what you believe.
 
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Brian Day 001

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You will get 100 replies suggesting we you went wrong. Church, the Bible, prayer, small groups, are all excellent for nurturing our soul, for spiritual growth. There comes a time, where, like Jesus, we are sent out into the desert, into the wilderness with nothing more than the clothes we are wearing. Our Wilderness moments come when we least expect them and when we feel we are least prepared. This is a time when it is just us on our own - or so we think. But we have the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.
 
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Emmy

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Dear Ben Collyer. The only answer I can give you: Satan would love to hear your words, he is a liar. Don`t believe it Ben. Satan will be mightily pleased. In Matthew 22: verse 35-40, Jesus told us: The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all Thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: love thy neighbour as thyself. God Loves us, and Jesus died for us. God is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus will lead us back to God. God is Love, and God Loves us.
The Bible tells us: give up all selfish and unloving thoughts and wishes remember that God is LOVE, and God LOVES us. Let us Love God with all our beings, and let us follow Jesus back to God. Jesus is THE WAY, and let us follow Jesus, He died that we might live. Let us change into the men and women which God wants. Let us ignore Satan, and always proclaim our Love to God and be HIS FOLLOWERS. I say this with love, Ben. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
 
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LoricaLady

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That's tough for someone on the outside to determine although one can share their own experiences. Have you tried keeping a journal? I've found that helps me keep in touch with myself/ my relationship with God.

I recall another believer told me the same thing years back - maybe satan attacks less when you're not actively growing and a threat to him - I don't know; I lost touch with her so I never knew what happened with her.

I'm a shy person - definitely not a social butterfly! But I did read something interesting that probiotics actually have a strong affect you - lack of specific strains creates anxiety.

I hope you'll figure it out - I think a journal would help. I'm researching them now to make one in Word.
The bible says,
"Sin is pleasurable for a season, but in the end it leads to destruction."
On the other hand there are pleasures "foreveemore" in Heaven. Further you can have peace and joy right here in this life by getting closer and closer to your Heavenly Father. When that happens the things of this world look pretty hollow, even sometimes repellant.
 
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ToBeLoved

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If im socialising with a human being and enjoying their company, I am enjoying THEM and not GOD.

its like saying that when you hang out with your friend steve, you are enjoying your friend Todd, nope, you are enjoying your friend steve
Jesus hung out with lots of people. His disciples, tax collectors and those who had diseases. He also made time to pray each day.

Why does it have to be 100% one way or the other? Isn't there a balance?

Sounds like you have guilt whenever you are not doing something with or for God.
 
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Goatee

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You knew you did wrong by ignoring your praying, God, the Bible, etc. and that's why you started feeling anxious and depressed. Out of sight, out of mind. When you were talking to people and dealing with your social anxiety, you were not thinking of anything besides just getting through conversations, being around people, etc. but you realized something was missing- you knew you did wrong.

Also, I'm willing to bet that you have a lot of questions about God, Jesus Christ, etc. that have yet to be answered, and it's bothering you/making you over-think and causing your brain to react in a negative way.

I can claim some of that myself too!
 
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klutedavid

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?
Hello Ben.

May I ask your age?
 
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Sketcher

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Last week I pretty much spend the whole week just socialising and battling with my social anxiety. and I felt comfortable in social situations and was enjoying other peoples company. but that week I didnt read my bible, pray, or anything. and I also was falling back into sinful habits of the past...but my self confidence and happyness was never better...but I eventually started to feel "cold" inside and I felt I needed to sit down and confess...even though part of me didnt want to...well...as soon as I confessed I was overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety and depression....

Guys, why is it that I am happy when I forget about God?
Sounds like when you were off doing those other things, your brain was occupied and you couldn't be bothered to think about what keeps you down. Whereas a prerequisite to "alone time with God" is "alone time." "Alone time" is when the depression can really get at you; in my life, it's as if I have to fight through that to get to clearly thinking about God. If you're mentally associating God with being the Helper when all seems lost but not associating him with the creator of life and joy and goodness nearly as much, your brain may be taking an unhealthy shortcut to associating thoughts of God to all kinds of downers. And that could very well be bringing your moods down.

He's still real. What he said and did is still true. He's still worth following.
 
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