Is it possible to have OCD (or had OCD) and still be 100% sure of being saved?

[PARCmd]

Is there complete assurance of faith after OCD??? Just asking.

 

[seajoy]

Yes, it is. But remember, even some of the greatest of faith in the Bible had a doubt or two now and then.

Our salvation is not based on our assurance, but rather on what Christ has done for us. Remember the verse "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief." (sorry, can't remember where it's found).

Do the therapy, leave the rest to God. He's been taking care of people's faith for a long time. He knows what He's doing.

Rest easy friends. You don't have a problem with God....you have OCD.

In Christ Alone,
seajoy

 

[OptimisticSmile]

that is so true. also when doubtful thoughts come if you write them off as OCD and stop comparing your lack of assurence with the assurene that Non-OCD people seem to have then that in itself is more assuring.

 

[jc9992]

Yes PARCmd there can still be assurance when you have OCD.My obsession is the fear of that being taken away.

 

[marcb]

Yes, it is. But remember, even some of the greatest of faith in the Bible had a doubt or two now and then.

Our salvation is not based on our assurance, but rather on what Christ has done for us. Remember the verse "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief." (sorry, can't remember where it's found).

Do the therapy, leave the rest to God. He's been taking care of people's faith for a long time. He knows what He's doing.

Rest easy friends. You don't have a problem with God....you have OCD.

In Christ Alone,
seajoy

That's a great reminder, Seajoy! Thank you. Our pastor talked about the "unfaith" of Abraham yesterday, and it truly shows how God pulls it all off, with persistence. ....and it is credited to (us) as righteousness . Walk through the Abraham story in Genesis and see how this hero of faith stumbled in the midst of God's promises. It truly shows we have a patient and merciful God. Abraham does ultimately respond appropriately, but the story is really about how God works with us humans in our doubt, and in our weaknesses.

Another good point, Seajoy. Mark 9:24 is our mantra. "I believe...help me overcome my unbelief."

 

[PARCmd]

I see...

But would Jesus even forgive me if my compulsions involve renouncing Him, blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and "irrevocably accepting the enemy?" I mean, I do them because I have urges to do them, and I do not do them because I want them. Come to think of it, what kind of Christian would want to do such a thing, right?!

I've managed to put "nots", or "according to so and so", so probably 90% have been successfully canceled. The remaining 10% would be the compulsions I forgot to place a canceling word - in this case, I would just pray to God "that the last 10 (or so) compulsions be canceled by placing an 'irrevocably not'".

There are more than ten times when I had strong urges to renounce God (but I don't want to), so I said "I'm irrevocably renncing you Christ not". Is it OK?

Then there are times when I felt angry (and urges to renounce God immediately appeared), which I did but placed a 'not' after (like the ones above), though there were other snowballed thoughts that I wasn't able to stop.

Am I still OK? Or have I "fallen away" (Heb 6:4-6)? Is it OK not to feel anything after I did it? I mean there is the usual cancellation, not to mention the rituals I do after it, and several prayers and emotional regret and asking for repentance... but I do not bawl anymore whenever I do it (which is the case before)...

 

[seajoy]

Why are you trying to stop the thoughts? Let 'em come, then say "so what". They will start to disappear on their own.

I'm not sure you are understanding exposure/response therapy. Are you seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD...or at least understands what must be done for it? I sure hope you are. I feel badly for how you are suffering.

All this stuff about cancelling with with "nots" and such, is only making your ocd worse. I tried everything there was to try before I did the correct therapy. I didn't go through all this for folks not to listen Sorry if I sound mean.

I had 5 hospitalizations on the psych floor, many ECT (shock) treatments. I was so bad off that I could no longer walk...I crawled from room to room. I was inundated non-stop with thoughts of blasphemy even in my dreams at night with what little sleep I got.

God brought me to a place where I learned what to do, which was nothing. Stop fighting the thoughts. Stop trying to cancel them. No more war, no ocd. Let them come....and don't care. They will start to fade. It takes time, but it works.

God's blessings and peace to everyone here on this board. Christ loves you with an everlasting love.

seajoy

 

[Jayangel81]

Exposure/response does wonders. The other day i was forcing myself to laugh at my thoughts. I felt so much better afterwards

(and its not easy to laugh at what we doubt/fear/hear)
Takes prayer and practice imo

 

[gracealone]

Is there complete assurance of faith after OCD??? Just asking.

HI Parcmd,
For me I've had to try and figure out whether it's a certainty based in the knowledge that God has given me about Himself which has led me to choose to believe, or whether what I'm wanting is a feeling of certainty about these things. With OCD my feelings of certainty can be absent for very long periods so I have to just live with that discomfort and continue to walk on in obedience.
Don't know if this addresses your question accurately, but for me it's the only way I can get on with my walk.
Mitzi

 

[marcb]

Exposure/response does wonders. The other day i was forcing myself to laugh at my thoughts. I felt so much better afterwards

(and its not easy to laugh at what we doubt/fear/hear)
Takes prayer and practice imo

You have great courage!

 

[marcb]

HI Parcmd,
For me I've had to try and figure out whether it's a certainty based in the knowledge that God has given me about Himself which has led me to choose to believe, or whether what I'm wanting is a feeling of certainty about these things. With OCD my feelings of certainty can be absent for very long periods so I have to just live with that discomfort and continue to walk on in obedience.
Don't know if this addresses your question accurately, but for me it's the only way I can get on with my walk.
Mitzi

That is faith, my friend, and yours is great!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (or feel!)

 

[gracealone]

That is faith, my friend, and yours is great!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (or feel!)

Hey Marc,
Thank you for the kindness of your words but I must add this quote, (not sure who it's attributed to):
"I'm a woman of little faith in a wholly faithful God."
God Bless,
Mitzi

 

[BeccaLynn]

PARCmd,

I know how very disturbing it is to lack that assurance. Recently, after reading the verses in Romans 10:8-13 about confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart to be saved . . . and then verse 13 saying that, "anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved", I was talking to God about me having (feeling) personal security. It's like a thought came to my mind, and I believe it was God placing it there, that "My Word is your security". I know I still don't FEEL saved, but my feelings have nothing to do with God's trustworthiness. I have to take His Word and personalize it. That's what faith is for anyone, even those without ocd. I would love to have the feelings of assurance, but if I never do, God cannot lie. I, as I am sure you have also, have called on the name of the Lord Jesus. According to His Word, anyone who does so shall be saved. I've heard a very famous and admired preacher before, one who I thought never struggled with feeling saved, say that he doesn't always feel saved. That actually comforted me. Salvation is not a feeling, it's an acceptance that Jesus has done for me what I couldn't do for myself. I know it's a scary place to be when we don't feel as we think we should. That fear is the very thing that kept me in a state of panic for so long. Whether the feelings ever come or not, I have to know that God's gentle yet firm grip on me, on every person who has called on His name, is secure.

Rebecca

 

[PARCmd]

Even though I have the thoughts I described in the first page? I mean, I'm not undergoing therapy of some sort...

It's just a compulsion - the ones we would do automatically to fight off intrusive thoughts - when we would think the blasphemous thought/renouncing thought/accepting the enemy thought, then cancel it. Though I do it oftentimes now because of urges or feelings that I have to do them.

What I'm worried about are those compulsions which I haven't canceled.

Today I developed several new chains of thought like: 1) irrevocably selling the soul to the Enemy? and 2) irrevocably dedicating one's self to the Enemy? Whenever I do the compulsions and forgot to cancel it, would it be considered a sin?

ANd from the past few days: 1) Thinking of bad words to the Holy Spirit (then canceling it), 2) Telling the to "shut up not", and 3) streams of thought like "The HS is NOT HOLY NOT, meaning the HS is HOLY".

These aren't the Unpardonable sin, right? Whatever the Unpardonable sin is.....

 

[Boxers1]

Hi PARCmd:
I was struggling again too the other day when I posted in the "I can't shake this one" thread. I was afraid of the words i blaspheme you in my head. The good people reminded me that I have to continue to practice ignorning the thoughts and saying oh well no matter how anxious it makes you feel. B/c these thoughts are all a product of the illness. They are not what we believe. Let the thoughts be there and then say oh well- b/c they aren't valid. Your thoughts are not any different than what many of us have struggled with. The key is to not fight them so they don't scare you anymore.
Boxers1

Even though I have the thoughts I described in the first page? I mean, I'm not undergoing therapy of some sort...

It's just a compulsion - the ones we would do automatically to fight off intrusive thoughts - when we would think the blasphemous thought/renouncing thought/accepting the enemy thought, then cancel it. Though I do it oftentimes now because of urges or feelings that I have to do them.

What I'm worried about are those compulsions which I haven't canceled.

Today I developed several new chains of thought like: 1) irrevocably selling the soul to the Enemy? and 2) irrevocably dedicating one's self to the Enemy? Whenever I do the compulsions and forgot to cancel it, would it be considered a sin?

ANd from the past few days: 1) Thinking of bad words to the Holy Spirit (then canceling it), 2) Telling the to "shut up not", and 3) streams of thought like "The HS is NOT HOLY NOT, meaning the HS is HOLY".

These aren't the Unpardonable sin, right? Whatever the Unpardonable sin is.....

 

[jc9992]

These aren't the Unpardonable sin, right? Whatever the Unpardonable sin is.....

First off if you want to get better, dont ask this question

Everyone on here is right you just have to ignore the thoughts and keep going.Dont let OCD hinder your walk with God, over a month ago i just decided to leave it all to God and since then my OCD has been increasingly getting better and ive been moving closer and closer to God.Doing this will not only give you the assurance you want but eventually these thoughts might not even come anymore.No,you might not be healed of OCD completely but you will be much better.

 

[seajoy]

Awsome posts from both jc9992 and Boxers1! Woohoo!

 

[BeccaLynn]

I know this has been said before, but no one can typically assure someone with ocd enough when it comes to their obsession. I kind of view it like someone who has anorexia. The way I understand anorexia, the person sees himself/herself as fat regardless of what anyone says. It is so obvious to "outsiders" that the reality is that the sufferer is not fat, and is, in fact, the opposite. But, the person has difficulty trusting anyone else, because what they see is so different than what they are being told by others. I think it is very similar with those who suffer with ocd. People can tell us that our mind's reality is not truth, but we don't see it that way and our fears drive us to where we just don't believe what they are telling us. Someone could tell you repeatedly that you haven't committed the unpardonable sin, but it's not going to give you the assurance you are looking for. From my experience, the thoughts just seem to pose the same question in other ways. They continuously loop. Since you are majoring in psychology, I view you as someone who can have true empathy and compassion for the people you will be dealing with in your field. You can come at it from a whole different perspective than those in the field who have never personally dealt with anything like their patients/clients have. You've not said anything about receiving counseling for this yourself. It took me a very long time to accept counseling. I was told repeatedly by a pastor friend that I was saved, but my mind would not accept it. It was too scary because it was my salvation that I felt was uncertain, not his. I feared that if I accepted what he told me, and then found out later that what I felt all along (that I was really lost) was true, that then it would be too late. And that is what kept me in the spin cycle. I battled this in one way or another since my childhood. It took me over half of my life to be willing to live with the uncertain feelings and to trust that God had put certain people in my life encouraging me and telling me I am secure in Him. I believe He also led me to this website. I would encourage you to be open to receive counseling if you are not. It can be like "spinning your tires" in place if you don't.

Praying For You,
Rebecca

 

[PARCmd]

First off if you want to get better, dont ask this question

Everyone on here is right you just have to ignore the thoughts and keep going.Dont let OCD hinder your walk with God, over a month ago i just decided to leave it all to God and since then my OCD has been increasingly getting better and ive been moving closer and closer to God.Doing this will not only give you the assurance you want but eventually these thoughts might not even come anymore.No,you might not be healed of OCD completely but you will be much better.

Even though these aren't obsessions, but compulsions?

If a person "accidentally" (through the compulsion - forgetting to place a 'not' - I forgot to say a not in one compulsion, and got a little jumbled up in four other compulsions) sells / dedicates his soul to Satan, is he cursed/damned? Isn't it that a person who does this will be cursed??? Would renouncing Satan (or renouncing all ties to Satan) be sufficient to release one's self from this accursed state??? Sorry, I have to ask this question - I'm really afraid of this - I know of someone who was dedicated to Satan when he was born (so this is involuntary - technically like compulsions) and has still some vestiges of that in him...

Though I HAVE VOCALIZED PRAYERS SEVERAL TIMES LIKE:

1) "I IRREVOCABLY GIVE MY SOUL, BODY, SPIRIT, LIFE, AND EVERYTHING I HAVE TO MY LORD AND MASTER JESUS CHRIST, SO I COULD NOT SELL OR GIVE MY SOUL/LIFE/BODY ANYMORE TO ANYONE", and

2) "I IRREVOCABLY DEDICATE MY LIFE AND EVERYTHING I HAVE TO JESUS CHRIST, SO I COULD NOT DEDICATE MY SOUL/LIFE ANYMORE TO ANYONE" (AND besides, I was dedicated to the Lord since birth)

 

[seajoy]

Even though these aren't obsessions, but compulsions?

Your compulsion has become part of your obsession. You need to see a psychiatrist to help you understand OCD and exposure/response therapy.

You do not have a problem with God, you have OCD.

Please listen to what we are saying so you can be free of this torment. No one needs to live this way. You have been given a lifeline.....grab it!

Reassurance will only keep the ocd circle going. I so desperately craved reassurance...I was the master of getting it from others....it did not help me, it hindered me. I know how hard this is, but I also know what helps.

seajoy