An upsetting setback

[KiranLee]

So I've been doing better but tonight I was reading Got Questions and I was reading about a sober mind. Got Questions said that a person with a sober mind abstains from situations that will led them into sin and I started thinking that if I decide to endure the fear and worry by trustinf in God to handle it and do what my OCD tells me not to even though I know it will make me worry. I am afraid that I will be sinning if I decide to walk into the fear while trying to trust God, I will not be of a sober mind. Is it wrong for me to try and ignore these thoughts and trust God even though I know it will cause me to worry for a while? I'm really upset by this.

 

[SkyWriting]

So I've been doing better but tonight I was reading Got Questions and I was reading about a sober mind. Got Questions said that a person with a sober mind abstains from situations that will led them into sin and I started thinking that if I decide to endure the fear and worry by trustinf in God to handle it and do what my OCD tells me not to even though I know it will make me worry. I am afraid that I will be sinning if I decide to walk into the fear while trying to trust God, I will not be of a sober mind. Is it wrong for me to try and ignore these thoughts and trust God even though I know it will cause me to worry for a while? I'm really upset by this.

Practice being grateful for gifts you have.
This solves the problem of worry while you are practicing.
The two can't be done at the same time.

 

[Aussie Pete]

So I've been doing better but tonight I was reading Got Questions and I was reading about a sober mind. Got Questions said that a person with a sober mind abstains from situations that will led them into sin and I started thinking that if I decide to endure the fear and worry by trustinf in God to handle it and do what my OCD tells me not to even though I know it will make me worry. I am afraid that I will be sinning if I decide to walk into the fear while trying to trust God, I will not be of a sober mind. Is it wrong for me to try and ignore these thoughts and trust God even though I know it will cause me to worry for a while? I'm really upset by this.

God is most gracious and merciful. You can trust God completely with every aspect of your life. Let Him take care of you. Spend as much time as you can talking to Him about your problems, but take care to thank Him for being the answer to every one of them. Make it clear that you cannot set yourself free. That is why Jesus came, to set the captives free. You are forgiven already. All you have to do is confess your sin and you will be clean again. Psalm 34 "I sought the Lord and He heard my voice and delivered me from all my fears".

 

[ajcarey]

I am having some trouble understanding exactly what you mean. What is sure though is that it's right not to put ourselves in the way of temptation when we can avoid it altogether without neglecting doing something that we know we ought to do. It is good and right to fear sinning against God; and it's right to be cautious about putting ourselves in the way of temptation. It is wrong though to not trust God and to be fearful about doing what is right and good in His eyes.

So we should fear to do evil and not fear to do right. We should trust God in avoiding evil and in doing that which is right. There need be no conflict then between properly fearing God and properly trusting God- they go hand in hand and are totally compatible when understood Biblically. Be encouraged in seeking the Lord and no need to have a setback.

Psalm 34:8-15: "8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."

 

[NeverL0ved]

So I've been doing better but tonight I was reading Got Questions and I was reading about a sober mind. Got Questions said that a person with a sober mind abstains from situations that will led them into sin and I started thinking that if I decide to endure the fear and worry by trustinf in God to handle it and do what my OCD tells me not to even though I know it will make me worry. I am afraid that I will be sinning if I decide to walk into the fear while trying to trust God, I will not be of a sober mind. Is it wrong for me to try and ignore these thoughts and trust God even though I know it will cause me to worry for a while? I'm really upset by this.

Have you ever thought that it just might be the beliefs you cling to that are causing these OCD symptoms?

Worth investigating? Or not.

 

[KiranLee]

I am having some trouble understanding exactly what you mean. What is sure though is that it's right not to put ourselves in the way of temptation when we can avoid it altogether without neglecting doing something that we know we ought to do. It is good and right to fear sinning against God; and it's right to be cautious about putting ourselves in the way of temptation. It is wrong though to not trust God and to be fearful about doing what is right and good in His eyes.

So we should fear to do evil and not fear to do right. We should trust God in avoiding evil and in doing that which is right. There need be no conflict then between properly fearing God and properly trusting God- they go hand in hand and are totally compatible when understood Biblically. Be encouraged in seeking the Lord and no need to have a setback.

Psalm 34:8-15: "8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."

I mean that I am concerned that if I try to resist the OCD thoughts I will end up worrying a lot before this ends which God may consider a sin. By the same token I know that I cannot just listen to my OCD because of it's lies.

 

[KiranLee]

Practice being grateful for gifts you have.
This solves the problem of worry while you are practicing.
The two can't be done at the same time.

Thank you. My concerns mostly revovle around whether not I have sinned or will sin in God's eyes when it comes to anything in my life. I am worried that if I just commit to trying to ignore the anxiety and slip up from time to time and start worrying "What if this is true" I will be putting myself in the way of worrying and that may be a sin, but if that is the case then I how can I manage my OCD, it is always telling me to do unnecassary or wrong things and ignoring them often leads me to worry.

 

[KiranLee]

I am having some trouble understanding exactly what you mean. What is sure though is that it's right not to put ourselves in the way of temptation when we can avoid it altogether without neglecting doing something that we know we ought to do. It is good and right to fear sinning against God; and it's right to be cautious about putting ourselves in the way of temptation. It is wrong though to not trust God and to be fearful about doing what is right and good in His eyes.

So we should fear to do evil and not fear to do right. We should trust God in avoiding evil and in doing that which is right. There need be no conflict then between properly fearing God and properly trusting God- they go hand in hand and are totally compatible when understood Biblically. Be encouraged in seeking the Lord and no need to have a setback.

Psalm 34:8-15: "8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."

Thank you Ajcarey this was helpful, I appreciate it. It would be right for to shift my worry of these thoughts onto God and strive not to worry. Every time a worry pops up I can shift it on to God. But I just worry that in acheiving what I know I should I might sin on the way by worrying.

 

[SkyWriting]

Thank you. My concerns mostly revovle around whether not I have sinned or will sin in God's eyes when it comes to anything in my life. I am worried that if I just commit to trying to ignore the anxiety and slip up from time to time and start worrying "What if this is true" I will be putting myself in the way of worrying and that may be a sin, but if that is the case then I how can I manage my OCD, it is always telling me to do unnecessary or wrong things and ignoring them often leads me to worry.

I am speaking directly to your concerns.
Practice being grateful for gifts you have been given.
You next breath for example. How well your arm stretches without pain.
How your heart beats with no pain. How your eyelids open and close.
This solves the problem of OCD while you are practicing.
The two can't be done at the same time.

 

[SkyWriting]

..but if that is the case then I how can I manage my OCD, it is always telling me to do unnecessary or wrong things and ignoring them often leads me to worry.

Being thankful and grateful is the solution.

 

[ajcarey]

Thank you Ajcarey this was helpful, I appreciate it. It would be right for to shift my worry of these thoughts onto God and strive not to worry. Every time a worry pops up I can shift it on to God. But I just worry that in acheiving what I know I should I might sin on the way by worrying.

Never fear doing what you ought to do because of how you might fail along the way or how you might handle succeeding. God is looking for a willing heart to please Him by doing that which is in our power to do to meet His requirements. His grace in Christ is what makes Him able to judge us by a submitted, willing heart rather than by strict justice (i.e. you didn't perform perfect so you are condemned without any remedy). He understands our weakness and He understands our ability. We should do what we're able to do to please Him and trust that His grace extends to our weakness as we do that (many presume upon His grace thinking it will cover them even though they don't act right according to their ability, but it doesn't sound at all like that is you right now). He is seeking our good; and if we just trust Him in doing before Him what we know we ought to do, He is able to work with us further. Maintain that trust and be sure that His mercy and His strength will still be there for you each step you take. You'll receive what you need when you need it- and not necessarily before you need it. Our weakness will never cause Him to give up on us or make us ineligible to receive of His strength according as we really need it to go on with Him.

"24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:24-25)

"8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
(Psalm 103:8-14)

 

[Mari17]

I see what you're saying, but in my opinion this is not a valid argument. You're facing the fear/worry specifically because you want to overcome it. It would be like someone who's afraid of heights to say, "I'm never going to face my fear, because fear is a sin." No - you face the fear in order to overcome the fear! Fear and worry are a part of our everyday lives, whether it's obsessive fear or just general everyday fear. I don't think those feelings are in themselves a sin. They become sinful if we embrace them or choose to dwell in them, not if we're allowing ourselves to be fearful in order to habituate to our fears (as in the case of OCD). In my opinion, facing your fear is actually the RIGHT thing to do in this case. I really like what Dr. Ian Osborn has to say about facing your obsessive fears (from a Christian point of view!) on his blog posts at ocdandchristianity.com.