Confused and sometimes worried

[Emily7584]

Hi.

I’m struggling in my relationship with God. Sorry this is kinda long


I have very bad ocd (Intrusive thoughts and bad thoughts and thinking patterns) that causes me to not be able to pray to God. I haven’t really prayed in over a week. Only once Yestarday for help.


When I pray I get triggered and feel tempted/ compelled to think bad thoughts (blasphemous & sinful ones)and think things to God.


So I barley ever pray. A lot of time I feel scared to pray as well and don’t know what to say.


Because of ocd I have intrusive thoughts all the time.


________________________________________


I also don’t really know what it means to deny myself


Take up my cross and follow Jesus.


I also don’t know what it means to surrender everything to God/ my heart to God.


________________________________________


I spend all day every day on my phone and I also barley leave my room and stay in bed like all day on my phone because I have nothing else to do and nowhere to go.

I don’t know what God wants me to do all day apart from read the word and pray (which I find very hard to do). I don’t know what I can do that isn’t worldly.


________________________________________


I don’t know how to serve God apart from sharing the gospel which I want to do but don’t know how to properly. I want to win souls.


I also don’t know how to serve others. I live with my mum and brother.

I know that love is patient and kind etc.... is that it or is there more to it.


I want to love a life of love and it’s hard because of the intrusive thoughts I have every time I see anyone my head will have an urge to think something bad even though I don’t mean it at all. It’s just because of ocd.


A lot of the time I’m tired and have no strength


________________________________________


This verse also scares me:


Matthew 7:21-23


"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.


Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'


Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


I don’t know what Gods will is and idk how to do it and to know if I’m doing it. I also worry because of the unwillful ocd intrusive thoughts that always come into my head all the time and if I had a choice I would be healed and my head would never do it and he says in that verse evildoers


________________________________________


I worry about the sheep and goats and wheat and chaff because I feel like I’m not living right. I think I complain a lot because of the ocd. I don’t want to be a goat or chaff.


I keep messing up every day. Sometimes I feel very confused.


________________________________________


My mummy and brother need saved and because of my ocd I don’t pray. I worry because I want them to go to heaven.


How do you know if you are on the narrow way.


Sometimes I feel hopeless and sad because I don’t want to be left.


I want to go to heaven. . .


I’m scared of h*ll


I’m scared of the loc*sts in revelation ..


I don’t know how to wholeheartedly serve Jesus. I want to..


________________________________________


Im also terrified of judgement and the second return. Jesus scares me and I don’t want Him to leave me. I want my family to be saved. I’m terrified of the prophesies. I get terrified Every time I see a video about end times etc...

I’m scared of the seperating of sheep and goats. I’m scared because I want to go to heaven. I’m scared of the depart from me verse. I’m also not close to God and I worry because I don’t want to be lukewarm or backslidden. I’m scared of the buy and sell thing Rev....
I don’t want people to die.


________________________________________

I also don’t want to be a foolish virgin. How can I not be one?

Sorry this was long

Thanks for reading

 

[xaris]

I'm short worded with God as well. What I find helpful is to continually offer up praise and thanksgiving in the form of worship.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (Joh 4:23)

Also get grounded deeply in Romans 1-8. It will give you great substance for that praise.

 

[mlepfitjw]

Oh Emily. The best thing to do would be to read the new testament, and to pray and ask God for wisdom. There are so many wonderful scriptures in the bible that can help you build on your faith and trust in God.

I live my life in accordance that the revelation is completed (there is history to prove this and right now I can't lay it all out for you; you can research if you would like to). That the Lord Jesus Christ has come back and is with you now. Also that when we die and leave this life we are going back to God who will rightly judge all people.

Hope you do not mind me sharing these scriptures with you Emily, and hope and pray the best for you on your journey of just loving God with all your mind, heart, and soul, and loving others here on earth while we have life on it because one day we will pass away and to live in fear with the Lord is not going to help you any.

Listen Emily, it is up to you what you do with your faith, hope, and love that comes from God. You should know you are important, and you matter, and you are loved by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Hope one day your brother and mother will see the light, and may God give you courage and strength to have faith, believe, hope and trust in them for all the benefits from the holy spirit that is given from God.

God bless!


God doesn't give us a spirit of fear.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Psalm 86:5 “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”

Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Philippians 4:
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

James 1:
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.


1 John 2:1-2
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

James 1:5 tells us that if you ask for wisdom, God will give it generously without finding fault: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

[JulieB67]

Emily I am sending prayers to you! The best thing to do is keep in his Word -all of it so we can fully understand God's overall plan. What helped me also when I set out to really study is to get certain tools -Hebrew//Greek dictionary and a Strong's Concordance if you really want to immerse yourself into study. And continually seek our Father, that's what he wants! He understands we have problems and health/mental issues. But continue to seek his guidance.

It's not his will that anyone should perish,

II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

It's taken me years to get to repentance with some things and thank God for his patience.

This world and age we live in presently is not easy but the fact that you're here means you are trying

And don't worry when you fall short, pick yourself back up and carry on.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Emily7584, perhaps first and foremost to remember is this, God knows exactly what you are going through because of your OCD, and thankfully, He is ~always~ patient and kind towards us (especially towards those who He has loved from everlasting, His own sons and daughters, that is .. cf Jeremiah 31:3).

It may also help you to remember that there is NOTHING that you will ever do or say (OR think) that is in anyway a surprise to Him. IOW, He knew EXACTLY what/who He was getting when He chose to justify and save you (and me), but He decided to go ahead and save us anyway

I don't have OCD, but I did struggle GREATLY with horrible and painful intrusive thoughts when I first became a Christian (compliments I am sure of our common enemy ), and due to the mental baggage that came along with me from my very sinful life before I became a believer (at age 30) as well.

The regular practice of the principle Christian disciplines (Bible study, prayer, fellowship and witnessing) helped me with my horrible thought-life, but nothing did so more profoundly than memorizing verses and passages from the Bible. I was told that I needed to empty my mind of all of the stale, stinky garbage that I had stored up there, and replace it with something FAR better, and memorizing Scripture did that for me in a far greater way than I had hoped or even imagined that it might (memorization work puts the word of God on the "front-burner" of your mind, morning, afternoon and night, and pushes the stinky garbage to the back-burner and, eventually, out of your mind altogether, PTL .. and leaves no room for it to return somehow).

If memorization works seems like something that you'd like to try, let me know and I'll PM you and give you some tips to help you get started. Just FYI, I use the Navigator's Topical Memory System (which is now available as an Apple or an Android app).

BTW, growing in your knowledge and understanding of God's word (whether memorized or not) will help you recognize the lies and half-truths that are coming from Satan for what they are, and far more quickly (so that you can take these thoughts "captive" and give them over to the Lord Jesus to deal with instead .. 2 Corinthians 10:5). Our taking "captive" the intrusive thoughts that plague our minds, again and again, as necessary, is perhaps the principal way that we obey the command to "resist the devil" and, thereby, receive the promise that is attached to it, "and he will flee from you" .. James 4:7.

God bless you!

Praying for you!!

--David
p.s. - the Lord never intended for us to lead this life, the Christian life, apart from fellowship with other believers. He also gave us our undershepherds (our pastors), who are tasked by Him with keeping a careful watch over our souls on this side of the grave .. e.g. Hebrews 13:17. If you have a pastor, have you called him and told him about all that you are struggling with right now? If you haven't, I would do so immediately, for his help/counsel, and so that he will know how to pray for you, specifically. (and if you do not have a church that you attend regularly, this would be a great time to find one )

Isaiah 41
10 "Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
​

 

[Emily7584]

Hello @Emily7584, perhaps first and foremost to remember is this, God knows exactly what you are going through because of your OCD, and thankfully, He is ~always~ patient and kind towards us (especially towards those who He has loved from everlasting, His own sons and daughters, that is .. cf Jeremiah 31:3).

It may also help you to remember that there is NOTHING that you will ever do or say (OR think) that is in anyway a surprise to Him. IOW, He knew EXACTLY what/who He was getting when He chose to justify and save you (and me), but He decided to go ahead and save us anyway

I don't have OCD, but I did struggle GREATLY with horrible and painful intrusive thoughts when I first became a Christian (compliments I am sure of our common enemy ), and due to the mental baggage that came along with me from my very sinful life before I became a believer (at age 30) as well.

The regular practice of the principle Christian disciplines (Bible study, prayer, fellowship and witnessing) helped me with my horrible thought-life, but nothing did so more profoundly than memorizing verses and passages from the Bible. I was told that I needed to empty my mind of all of the stale, stinky garbage that I had stored up there, and replace it with something FAR better, and memorizing Scripture did that for me in a far greater way than I had hoped or even imagined that it might (memorization work puts the word of God on the "front-burner" of your mind, morning, afternoon and night, and pushes the stinky garbage to the back-burner and, eventually, out of your mind altogether, PTL .. and leaves no room for it to return somehow).

If memorization works seems like something that you'd like to try, let me know and I'll PM you and give you some tips to help you get started. Just FYI, I use the Navigator's Topical Memory System (which is now available as an Apple or an Android app).

BTW, growing in your knowledge and understanding of God's word (whether memorized or not) will help you recognize the lies and half-truths that are coming from Satan for what they are, and far more quickly (so that you can take these thoughts "captive" and give them over to the Lord Jesus to deal with instead .. 2 Corinthians 10:5). Our taking "captive" the intrusive thoughts that plague our minds, again and again, as necessary, is perhaps the principal way that we obey the command to "resist the devil" and, thereby, receive the promise that is attached to it, "and he will flee from you" .. James 4:7.

God bless you!

Praying for you!!

--David
p.s. - the Lord never intended for us to lead this life, the Christian life, apart from fellowship with other believers. He also gave us our undershepherds (our pastors), who are tasked by Him with keeping a careful watch over our souls on this side of the grave .. e.g. Hebrews 13:17. If you have a pastor, have you called him and told him about all that you are struggling with right now? If you haven't, I would do so immediately, for His help/counsel, and so that he will know how to pray for you specifically. (and if you do not have a church that you attend regularly, this would be a great time to find one )

Isaiah 41
10 "Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
​

Thank you

 

[Tom1961]

I have very bad ocd (Intrusive thoughts and bad thoughts and thinking patterns) that causes me to not be able to pray to God. I haven’t really prayed in over a week. Only once Yestarday for help.

Romans 8:26-27
New International Version
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

I want to go to heaven. . .

Ephesians 2
New International Version
Made Alive in Christ
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

The only thing you can do to be saved is accept the gift of grace that Jesus provides for us. Acceptance is the only thing you can do to truly be saved.

How do you know if you are on the narrow way.

Galatians 5
New International Version
Freedom in Christ
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

This verse also scares me:

1 Peter 5
New International Version
To the Elders and the Flock
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

It is good that you are humble, but I believe your fear is interfering with your faith. Trust God.

God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. Are you going to choose to love him?

 

[St_Worm2]

I don’t know how to serve God apart from sharing the gospel which I want to do but don’t know how to properly. I want to win souls.

Hello again Emily, I believe that witnessing/preaching/evangelism/apologetics is perhaps the principal reason(s) that God leaves us here (as aliens and strangers in this world .. cf 1 Peter 2:11) once we are justified/saved by Him (rather than immediately taking us home to be with Him instead). So your desire to win souls is a wonderful one

One of the best ways that I know of to bring God and His word to people is to use what is sometimes referred to as the Socratic method of teaching (which is a method that uses 'leading questions' to help the folks we are talking to think through/think deeply about the Christian faith, and then in most cases, to come to their own conclusions, as well).

There is an excellent book that will help you learn how to do this called: Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions: Koukl, Gregory, Lee Strobel: 9780310101468: Amazon.com: Books (and some YouTube instruction from the same author, Greg Koukl, if you care to look it up, as well).

​

That said, always remember that witnessing (in particular) is, first and foremost, personal (it's about our personal encounters with God and His word, what we were like before Christ came into our lives, and how becoming a Christian has changed us). IOW, just like a witness in a courtroom setting, God wants us to tell others what we know, what we've experienced, and what we feel about Him, personally.

It may also help you to remember that we are all in this together as we work to help those who do not know Him to come to know Him. Most of the time we are planters of seeds, and/or we are those who water and cultivate, but as the Bible tells us, we are no less important than the one who is there for the harvest, who sees a new Christian actually come to saving faith .. e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9.

So your successes should probably be counted by the number of souls that you've witnessed to, rather than the number of souls that you've seen come all the way to saving faith (not that such a lofty goal should ever be left out of our thinking, of course, or out of what we should be prepared for when we witness ). In the end, the winning of souls is actually the job of the Holy Spirit (because He is the only One who is capable of changing our hearts .. e.g. Ezekiel 36:26-27), but He has chosen to include us in the process so faithful in our witnessing and evangelism we should choose to be .. e.g. Romans 10:13-17.

God bless you!

--David

 

[longwait]

Hi.

I’m struggling in my relationship with God. Sorry this is kinda long


I have very bad ocd (Intrusive thoughts and bad thoughts and thinking patterns) that causes me to not be able to pray to God. I haven’t really prayed in over a week. Only once Yestarday for help.


When I pray I get triggered and feel tempted/ compelled to think bad thoughts (blasphemous & sinful ones)and think things to God.


So I barley ever pray. A lot of time I feel scared to pray as well and don’t know what to say.


Because of ocd I have intrusive thoughts all the time.


________________________________________


I also don’t really know what it means to deny myself


Take up my cross and follow Jesus.


I also don’t know what it means to surrender everything to God/ my heart to God.


________________________________________


I spend all day every day on my phone and I also barley leave my room and stay in bed like all day on my phone because I have nothing else to do and nowhere to go.

I don’t know what God wants me to do all day apart from read the word and pray (which I find very hard to do). I don’t know what I can do that isn’t worldly.


________________________________________


I don’t know how to serve God apart from sharing the gospel which I want to do but don’t know how to properly. I want to win souls.


I also don’t know how to serve others. I live with my mum and brother.

I know that love is patient and kind etc.... is that it or is there more to it.


I want to love a life of love and it’s hard because of the intrusive thoughts I have every time I see anyone my head will have an urge to think something bad even though I don’t mean it at all. It’s just because of ocd.


A lot of the time I’m tired and have no strength


________________________________________


This verse also scares me:


Matthew 7:21-23


"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.


Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'


Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


I don’t know what Gods will is and idk how to do it and to know if I’m doing it. I also worry because of the unwillful ocd intrusive thoughts that always come into my head all the time and if I had a choice I would be healed and my head would never do it and he says in that verse evildoers


________________________________________


I worry about the sheep and goats and wheat and chaff because I feel like I’m not living right. I think I complain a lot because of the ocd. I don’t want to be a goat or chaff.


I keep messing up every day. Sometimes I feel very confused.


________________________________________


My mummy and brother need saved and because of my ocd I don’t pray. I worry because I want them to go to heaven.


How do you know if you are on the narrow way.


Sometimes I feel hopeless and sad because I don’t want to be left.


I want to go to heaven. . .


I’m scared of h*ll


I’m scared of the loc*sts in revelation ..


I don’t know how to wholeheartedly serve Jesus. I want to..


________________________________________


Im also terrified of judgement and the second return. Jesus scares me and I don’t want Him to leave me. I want my family to be saved. I’m terrified of the prophesies. I get terrified Every time I see a video about end times etc...

I’m scared of the seperating of sheep and goats. I’m scared because I want to go to heaven. I’m scared of the depart from me verse. I’m also not close to God and I worry because I don’t want to be lukewarm or backslidden. I’m scared of the buy and sell thing Rev....
I don’t want people to die.


________________________________________

I also don’t want to be a foolish virgin. How can I not be one?

Sorry this was long

Thanks for reading

Maybe you should start with listening to christian music that you like. Atleast its better than being on your phone all day engaged in worldly stuff. Replace that with christian music maybe.

 

[Emily7584]

Hello again Emily, I believe that witnessing/preaching/evangelism/apologetics is perhaps the principal reason(s) that God leaves us here (as aliens and strangers in this world .. cf 1 Peter 2:11) once we are justified/saved by Him (rather than immediately taking us home to be with Him instead). So your desire to win souls is a wonderful one

One of the best ways that I know of to bring God and His word to people is to use what is sometimes referred to as the Socratic method of teaching (which is a method that uses 'leading questions' to help the folks we are talking to think through/think deeply about the Christian faith, and then in most cases, to come to their own conclusions, as well).

There is an excellent book that will help you learn how to do this called: Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions: Koukl, Gregory, Lee Strobel: 9780310101468: Amazon.com: Books (and some YouTube instruction from the same author, Greg Koukl, if you care to look it up, as well).

​

That said, always remember that witnessing (in particular) is, first and foremost, personal (it's about our personal encounters with God and His word, what we were like before Christ came into our lives, and how becoming a Christian has changed us). IOW, just like a witness in a courtroom setting, God wants us to tell others what we know, what we've experienced, and what we feel about Him, personally.

It may also help you to remember that we are all in this together as we work to help those who do not know Him to come to know Him. Most of the time we are planters of seeds, and/or we are those who water and cultivate, but as the Bible tells us, we are no less important than the one who is there for the harvest, who sees a new Christian actually come to saving faith .. e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9.

So your successes should probably be counted by the number of souls that you've witnessed to, rather than the number of souls that you've seen come all the way to saving faith (not that such a lofty goal should ever be left out of our thinking, of course, or out of what we should be prepared for when we witness ). In the end, the winning of souls is actually the job of the Holy Spirit (because He is the only One who is capable of changing our hearts .. e.g. Ezekiel 36:26-27), but He has chosen to include us in the process so faithful in our witnessing and evangelism we should choose to be .. e.g. Romans 10:13-17.

God bless you!

--David

View attachment 294229​

Thank you, that was helpful