I'm dealing with unwanted thoughts about blasphemy

[faroukfarouk]

Thank you @faroukfarouk I wantef to reply to your profile and say hi but I don't know how to. So I'm going to say hi here

YW, @Tania11; it's a great verse; and Philippians is a great Epistle.

 

[Contenders Edge]

Thanks for your reply. I think it had a lot to do with it.

I always wondered how the devil fell and why he was created. My answer is he had free will but I don't get why he sinned if he used to be good

There are some verses in the OT that make me uncomfortable. I don't know if I should bring them up here.

You are right in that Lucifer, like the rest of the angelic host and man were created with free will. The only way God could ever have a meaningful relationship with His creations would be if his creations were made capable of independent thought. You cannot have a meaningful relationship with a machine that is programmed a certain way. It cannot really love you even if it is programmed to display affection and devotion because love requires choice which is why you can only have a meaningful relationship with someone who is able to choose whether or not to have that relationship with you.

But with a free will that enables God's creations to choose fellowship with Him, also comes the choice to reject and rebel against Him as well. Lucifer, like everything else, was created to be good, not evil. But he chose to exalt himself against his Maker.

But if God did not create us and the angels with a free-will, then we could never really love and devote ourselves to Him which would in and of itself be an evil which is why we were given free-will, even though not everyone chooses to love and devote themselves to their Maker. God knew that not all would choose to love and obey Him and knew ahead of time how to best confront the evil that would transpire because of those choosing enmity with Him instead of fellowship with Him.

What OT verses make you uncomfortable?

 

[Tania11]

Your reply is very detailed and helps me dust off thoughts of hyper Calvinism.

I guess with what struggle with (There may not be an answer in this life) How can a good creater rebel in the first place? How did that idea come into his head if he was good. I wonder if he ate the fruit first(?)

The one verse that bothers me is Psalm 137:9. I know we have to be careful to interpret this Psalm in its historical context.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Your reply is very detailed and helps me dust off thoughts of hyper Calvinism.

I guess with what struggle with (There may not be answer in this life) How can a good creater rebel in the first place? How did that idea come into his head if he was good. I wonder if he ate the fruit first(?)

The one verse that bothers me is Psalm 137:9. I know we have to be careful to interpret this Psalm in its historical context.

We do need to stick to what is revealed. There are so many comforting verses in Scripture. I do love Psalm 40, where the Psalmist goes from a horrible pit to goings established by God and with a new song in his mouth.

 

[Tania11]

We do need to stick to what is revealed. There are so many comforting verses in Scripture. I do love Psalm 40, where the Psalmist goes from a horrible pit to goings established by God and with a new song in his mouth.

True! I shouldn't wonder about things that aren't revealed. We just know he was made good and that's the answer.

I'll have get into Psalm 40. Sounds very uplifting.

 

[faroukfarouk]

True! I shouldn't wonder about things that aren't revealed. We just know he was made good and that's the answer.

I'll have get into Psalm 40. Sounds very uplifting.

I think Deuteronomy 29.29 contains an important principle:

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever..."

 

[Tolworth John]

I feel sometimes that they are me. When I woke up in the middle the night, in a lucid state, I thought the Holy Spirit was evil. I still want forgiveness but I'm worried that I'm in a numb state. I fear that this part of my enteral judgement.

OCD is a mental illness where a 'nutty' you say, thinks and does things you would not normal do.
The Sport of God living in you is well aware of why you do what you do and is able to make allowance for what the 'nutty' you does.

Do keep up with medication, therapy etc that seeks to drop or control your OCD.
If what you say under your OCD features you or causes you concern take that to God and ask him for forgiveness.
If later your OCD keeps bringing up the 'awefull' things it's made you do, again go back to God, but this time thank him for having forgiven you.

Remember God knows you, God loves you and he is not going to let your OCD deprive him of your company in heaven.

 

[Contenders Edge]

Your reply is very detailed and helps me dust off thoughts of hyper Calvinism.

I guess with what struggle with (There may not be an answer in this life) How can a good creater rebel in the first place? How did that idea come into his head if he was good. I wonder if he ate the fruit first(?)

The one verse that bothers me is Psalm 137:9. I know we have to be careful to interpret this Psalm in its historical context.

There is no record of Lucifer eating of the forbidden fruit. There is record of him tempting Eve to do so, with her husband Adam joining her as well. Lucifer, in his pride, chose to exalt himself against God. Eve chose to listen to him when he tempted her to eat of the fruit, and Adam chose to join his wife in the transgression.

They all chose to disobey God in their own way. How do creatures who were created to be good rebel against that which is good in the first place? They do not always choose to do what is right and pleasing in the sight of the Lord. That is how. Free will enables God to have a meaningful relationship with his creation, but that also means that not everyone will choose to align themselves with God.

As for Psalm 137, that leads into an eschatological issues, but when we read it, what we do have to be careful to avoid, is being led into thinking that God is cruel and unjust because nothing that God does is cruel and unjust even if we do not understand why all that is happening must take place.

Many skeptics and detractors of the faith will point to scriptures like Psalm 137 and demand how a kind and loving God could call even for babies to be destroyed in judgment. But what we also have to understand is that we are not in that scene to witness the height of wickedness and demonic influence in the place that God is about to judge. If we were, only then might we understand why God would do even that which we would otherwise consider unthinkable because we would be disgusted, appalled, and even horrified at the level of wickedness the place that is about to be punished has stooped to.

But God takes no pleasure in punishing or destroying anyone but would rather that all people would come to repentance, but when evil does reach a certain measure, God will have no choice but to bring judgment because there is nothing that can be done to persuade the people who are about to be judged to repent.

If we were to witness God judge a people or a nation, say for example He decides punish a nation like Iran, North Korea, or China, or say also even here in our own country that God decides He has had it with a state like California or a city like Los Angeles or San Francisco and decides to wipe off the map. It would not be a pleasant thing to witness. It would be terrifying and tragic. No picture in our own mind, no artistic illustration, or cinema depiction of what such judgment might look like could ever come close to doing the actual happening any justice.

It is just like no depiction of Heaven or a perfect world in any way, shape, or form would ever do justice to the actual experience. All we know is a world under a curse and is dying, where sin has infected everything it touches, death reigns, and all manner of pain, grief, hardship, adversity, sorrow, and evil abound. But we have never lived in a world without all of those things. We will not even fully understand perfection until we actually witness and experience it for ourselves.

There is a reason why the Bible has a lot to say about judgment and punishment and in great detail: So that we might understand that it is not a thing to be taken lightly or wished upon anyone whether it be judgment faced in this life or eternal punishment in the next.

But because God does not desire for judgment to commence, neither should we , and it ought to motivate us to be the best servants and followers of the Lord that we can possibly be and call and persuade as many to repentance as we possibly can.

If what I am saying is of help to you, then I am glad that it is. That is why I created the Contender's Edge blogsite and why I am here and as well as other social media platforms: To help fellow saints such as yourself to become more grounded and secure in your faith, to provide a reasoned defense of the faith, defend sound doctrine and the authority of scripture, and to preach the Gospel.

I am not afraid to answer any questions that anyone has about the Christian faith or the scriptures and will give the best and most reasoned answers that I can, and if I can't, I have a list of ministries and organizations on my "Links Page" that might be better able to which you can also visit and explore.

 

[Tania11]

@Contenders Edge

[QUOTE=" because there is nothing that can be done to persuade the people who are about to be judged to repent..[/QUOTE]

This has really helped me out a lot. Thank you!

 

[Contenders Edge]

@Contenders Edge

[QUOTE=" because there is nothing that can be done to persuade the people who are about to be judged to repent..

This has really helped me out a lot. Thank you![/QUOTE]


You are very welcome and God's blessing be upon you.

 

[mae19681995]

I am reminded after reading your post that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but our battle against the powers of darkness. Sometimes that battle is in our minds. Eph 6:13 and following are great verse to mediate on when your thoughts go dark and evil. Also I am reminded of the verse in Timothy that talk about taking all thoughts captive to Christ. I pray that your thoughts will be focused on CHrist and the truth of who he is and who you are through Him!

 

[Mari17]

Fear of blasphemy is a very very common obsession among Christians with OCD. It's important to learn how to address your OCD, since it tends to pop up in different ways over time. Here are some resources you might find helpful:
Welcome
OCD: THE MEDICAL VIEW – OCD & CHRISTIANITY
Resources – OCD Aware
Christianity and Anxiety Disorders - Let's Talk

 

[Tania11]

Fear of blasphemy is a very very common obsession among Christians with OCD. It's important to learn how to address your OCD, since it tends to pop up in different ways over time. Here are some resources you might find helpful:
Welcome
OCD: THE MEDICAL VIEW – OCD & CHRISTIANITY
Resources – OCD Aware
Christianity and Anxiety Disorders - Let's Talk

Yeah, that's me alright. Thank you. I now see all the threads on this here. I'm glad I'm not a unique crazy! But this fear couldn't have come at a worst time. When I'm questioning God's goodness

Not sure how exposure tharapy would work for me in this one issue. I don't want to say my thoughts or write them out loud lol. Maybe Christian therapists do a different method (?)

But right now I'm dealing with salvation doubts because I feel numb inside. I feel numb when I sin. I only have a mental want for forgiveness and not wanting to sin against him.

 

[Mari17]

Yeah, that's me alright. Thank you. I now see all the threads on this here. I'm glad I'm not a unique crazy! But this fear couldn't have come at a worst time. When I'm questioning God's goodness

Not sure how exposure tharapy would work for me in this one issue. I don't want to say my thoughts or write them out loud lol. Maybe Christian therapists do a different method (?)

But right now I'm dealing with salvation doubts because I feel numb inside. I feel numb when I sin. I only have a mental want for forgiveness and not wanting to sin against him.

Well, sometimes our OCD actually uses the numb feelings against us; it tells us, "Oh, if you were feeling anxious about this, you'd know it was an obsession, but you just feel numb, so maybe you really HAVE lost your salvation." The key with OCD is to keep ignoring it, no matter what tactic it takes, and tell it, "Well, I can't do much about whether or not I have the right feelings, but I can choose to keep following God, no matter what I feel." OCD tries to get us wound up with over-analyzing ourselves, but the truth is, it can't change our choices. Feeling something or not doesn't make it true or not; and we can still choose to keep moving forward, to keep following God and living our lives, no matter what OCD tries to distract us with.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Yeah, that's me alright. Thank you. I now see all the threads on this here. I'm glad I'm not a unique crazy! But this fear couldn't have come at a worst time. When I'm questioning God's goodness

Not sure how exposure tharapy would work for me in this one issue. I don't want to say my thoughts or write them out loud lol. Maybe Christian therapists do a different method (?)

But right now I'm dealing with salvation doubts because I feel numb inside. I feel numb when I sin. I only have a mental want for forgiveness and not wanting to sin against him.

John 14.27 and John's First Epistle are strong on the believer's peace and assurance.

 

[faroukfarouk]

@Tania11 PS: You mention therapists; make sure you are pointed in the direction of daily prayer and the Scriptures instead of towards introspection. Hebrews 12.2.

 

[Tania11]

@Tania11 PS: You mention therapists; make sure you are pointed in the direction of daily prayer and the Scriptures instead of towards introspection. Hebrews 12.2.

Yeah, I don't think seeing one is even an option. I don't have the money for a Christian one, the free ones are probably useless and I can't let my family know. I take care of my mom and she is prone to strokes. I can't let my burden be known.

I just have to trust in the Lord. I always doubted my salvation so maybe this big whammy I'm getting is forcing me to not be so humanistic.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I just have to trust in the Lord.

Proverbs 3.5

 

[Mari17]

Yeah, I don't think seeing one is even an option. I don't have the money for a Christian one, the free ones are probably useless and I can't let my family know. I take care of my mom and she is prone to strokes. I can't let my burden be known.

I just have to trust in the Lord. I always doubted my salvation so maybe this big whammy I'm getting is forcing me to not be so humanistic.

The important thing if you have OCD is to look for a therapist who knows how to treat OCD. Even a therapist who is not a Christian should be able to work with your beliefs, if they are a good therapist. It's so important for us to learn how to treat OCD effectively, because it's definitely possible to experience some victory over it if we learn how to manage the thoughts and fears in our brains. If you feel you need more peer support, feel free to join the support group that I'm a part of on Facebook; it's called "Christianity and Anxiety Disorders." There are a lot of people on there with OCD (especially religious OCD) and just anxiety disorders in general.

 

[Tania11]

The important thing if you have OCD is to look for a therapist who knows how to treat OCD. Even a therapist who is not a Christian should be able to work with your beliefs, if they are a good therapist. It's so important for us to learn how to treat OCD effectively, because it's definitely possible to experience some victory over it if we learn how to manage the thoughts and fears in our brains. If you feel you need more peer support, feel free to join the support group that I'm a part of on Facebook; it's called "Christianity and Anxiety Disorders." There are a lot of people on there with OCD (especially religious OCD) and just anxiety disorders in general.

Thanks for the advice I'm in the group. I'm getting desentized to the thoughts. I hope that isn't a sign I'm a monster but I'm I'll still going to rest my faith at the cross like Bunyan.