Is OCD demonic

[cedward1]

I don't believe in once saved always saved. Since u struggle with the same thing I do, do u think Satan is attacking u as well. U said your doubt God exists is not from OCD why do u come to a OCD board. I am just curious not trying to be mean or anything.

I think a lot of my problem is from Satan. I think anything that tells us to stay away from God or to think that He will turn us away is from Satan. God doesn't discourage anyone from being saved. Satan knows our weaknesses, and if your doubts and fears are from OCD I think that he is using them against you.

My doubts aren't from my OCD, but my doubts aren't what is causing my fears. I don't struggle with exactly the same thing as you, but I see similarities. I fear that I can't repent properly, which I think is kind of a different aspect of your fear that you can't believe properly. The only way out is to realize that Jesus is the "author and finisher of our faith", and not us. We don't get ourselves saved by working up belief (or probably repentance either). When we get to Heaven, there will be nothing we can point to other than Christ as the reason we are there. Nobody will be able to say "I believed enough, so God saved me". We have to trust Christ to get us through despite what state our minds are in.

As for once saved always saved, I'm not 100% sure of that either, but the principle is the same that if you don't decide to leave God, He will never leave you. I don't see any other way of interpreting the scriptures I mentioned.

 

[Jonathan95]

Pray to him to take the doubt away, I've had such doubt too, I have Scrupulosity (OCD).

Praying for you too!

 

[raven1]

How long did you doubt Jonathan. Ceward I guess it is different between you and I because you seem to trust God will give us faith. I fear he won't. Jonathan how dud u know your doubts about God existing were OCD. I am not sure OCD can cause that. Likewise Cedward how do u know your doubt God exists isn't OCD. You come to a OCD board.

 

[Jonathan95]

Well, it might not have been OCD at all times, I'm kinda new as a Christian and so, so it could have been lies from the evil one too, and just normal doubts.

 

[Chaplain David]

How do I do that when part of me says it is a lie. I want to believe in him if he is real or not if he isnt. There is no way to know 100 percent. I can follow Jesus and hope I am right but I don't know if he will be merciful with that mind frame and I also need to rationalize what if there is no heaven but I can't if I stifle my doubts but I feel i need to stifle my doubt to hopefully avoid hell.

It's ok Raven. Keep looking to and relying on God for help and guidance while at the same time seeking whatever medical help you need for the disease of OCD. God bless you.

 

[raven1]

You really believe that sacerdote? I mean none of us can prove God exists we just feel like we have enough evidence or we just believe. Since I have been scared about no afterlife my faith went out the window. I have been told I may doubt the rest of my life. My main fear is he took it away and I am going to hell. I don't get faith not sure if it exists. If you have faith it is hope. How do you just hope an God exists and therefore heaven. That is SCARY what if isn't you end you dont see loved ones again. Or there is belief and what if that is God given and he took it away from me.

 

[babegirl111]

I would so love to know what people on this board told you you were going to hell because I would really like to search them on here and send them a little letter on education

 

[raven1]

Unforunately they could be right. Who knows. I would hate to think God would send me to hell because I fear heaven doesnt exist and therefore he may not as well but I can't know. I mean it is by Gods grace most of us are not serial killers. Maybe it is only his grace that saves us. Maybe I wasn't chosen. My sister has had literally four abortions but believes in God. She is saved. Not that I don't want her to go to heaven. I just isn't fair I doubt.

 

[CrossPilgrim]

Dear Raven,

It seems you have an unhealthy view of God.

My main fear is he took it away and I am going to hell.

If God gave it to you, He wouldn't take it away. We can choose to walk away, but that is a conscious choice, not a unconscious drift.

I would hate to think God would send me to hell because I fear heaven doesnt exist and therefore he may not as well but I can't know.

God doesn't want to send anyone to hell. He desires that all mankind come to salvation.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

you seem to trust God will give us faith. I fear he won't.

Heb 12:2 says "...Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith". And Rom 12:3 says " ... God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Rom 10:17 says " ... faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." So faith is a gift from God that we receive from the word of Christ.

I can follow Jesus and hope I am right but I don't know if he will be merciful with that mind frame

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust Psalm 103:13-14

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8


Raven, tell me. Do you want to believe? If so, then do so and walk forth in faith. We all have doubts, but it's up to us whether we allow them to be deadweights or if we throw them off. In fact, we are told to throw off every weight that so easily hinders us. For you it seems to be doubt.

I know about unwanted thoughts because I had and sometimes still have them. In fact, many of your same doubts once plagued me. The way out is simple. Pray to God for His strength and Hand to guide and keep you and then by faith walk forward. At first it's difficult, but in time you begin to see Him at work and He shows Himself powerful in your life.

Concerning spiritual warfare, it seems you may be oppressed, and heavily so. Most people are touchy on the subject, but it is a possibility. The basics are as follows: we open doors to the devil via sin, accepting his evil deceptions or lack of forgiveness of self. Then he goes in and begins building strongholds in our minds, which are wrong ways of thinking which we can't seem to get out of. You seem to have one, especially in the category of God's grace and faith in Jesus Christ. Once established, demons have an opening to poke at you with doubts, fears, spiritual dryness, and various other phenomena.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:4-5

But do not dismay, for Jesus Christ came to set the captives free. This is a sensitive area and you should ask God for guidance. Don't let the doubts keep you down. If indeed you accepted Jesus as Saviour and confessed Him as Lord, then you are saved and He wants to set you free. If not (in case of doubts), then He wants to save you. Go to Him, for He who gave His only begotten Son for our sins will not turn away any who call on His name.

I pray God will show Himself loving and mighty in your life. Believe in Jesus and God's grace will be to you.

 

[raven1]

Isn't Gods grace what gives us believe/faith? I know doubters everywhere at work on here in my family that have doubted a long long time and believe they always will.How do I know we just weren't chosen to be saved some people are doubters. God made us so he made us with doubting minds or with the doubting disease and I cannot know he won't punish for that but he made us that way. Sigh

 

[kodadog1024]

I hear you Raven. But we need to be hopeful that Christ is stronger than our anxiety/OCD/fears and just focus on His love for us. It makes me upset too to think that this is the way God made me, to have intrusive thoughts... What if this is how He wants me to be? If not then why are these feelings/fears so strong and run my life now-a-days?

 

[kodadog1024]

Last year when I read "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and started to begin having intrusive thoughts, I thought, "what if God wants me to be this awful murderer?" what is my purpose?, to be this horrendous killer? That broke me. I couldn't fight or argue with God of all people, and I felt there was no hope. So last year was quite a roller coaster. I got baptized again last winter to prove that I loved God/Christ in hopes that He would forgive me and take all the thoughts away. Never happened. I still have my thoughts, I read my Bible, pray help and try to do my best in thinking that He will someday take away these dreaded thoughts. I'm still waiting in hopes that He will help me someday. God bless,

 

[raven1]

Sorry to hear you are struggling. I am started to struggle more because I feel Calvanists/fundementalists may be on to something. I will pray for you. I pray everytime I post I will not make someone doubt God. Today I was thinking only God can give or take away belief he exists and so Calvanists/fundamentalist made sense.

 

[kodadog1024]

Just found this: Getting out of depression (learned helplessness) by learning to be optimistic. Read this brilliant book: Learned Optimism.

In it the author (Dr. Martin Seligman) writes about how they experimented with a dog. They gave the dog shock treatments and gave the dog a way to end the shock by pressing a button or something. The dog didn’t become depressed because the dog had a way to control his environment.

When they stopped the button from working, the dog felt no control over his life… and he became depressed. After the dog had decided he could not longer control his what was happening to him, he became depressed.

Even when they fixed the button so that it would work again, the dog no longer even tried to change what was going on. It had given up. It had decided it could no control anything.

The dog had decided that it had no control over it’s own life… and it gave up. It stopped pressing the button. The dog had learned to be helpless. Even if the opportunity to stop the shocks was provided, it remained helpless. It had learned to be helpless and it remained helpless no matter what changed around it.

You CAN unlearn and change

You are not a dog. You are not an animal.

Learning optimism is done by consciously challenging any negative self talk.
You CAN change your mind. You CAN decide to control your life and do things that will lessen the pain. You CAN change and you CAN start with just a few small things. Start with your hair. Then your clothes. Then try avoiding hurtful people. Then go to a church where you feel loved. Then go to counselling and learn new skills. Then… then… then…

Bit by bit you CAN change your experience of the world around you. YOU CAN.
Here is an online test which is created by someone else. Enjoy this learned optimism test. I will write more about this book next week. I’m off to the coast. I’m changing my world to be a WHOLE LOT more fun. What are you going to change in your world?

wow, awesome....

 

[CrossPilgrim]

Raven,

I understand what you are saying. The scriptures do seem to lean towards a fundamentalistic view. But before you freak out, let me ask you this. Were you ever a Christian/believer before the thoughts hit?

 

[raven1]

Kodadog i am not sure I get it. How can I choose not to fear Gods punishment. Crosspilgrim yes I was saved for fifteen years before the doubt hit. I do not believe once saved always saved. Ok so say my dad gives me a cookie and tells me not to eat it but he knows I will because I love sweets it's innate in me. So I eat it and he spanks so not fair. This is a million times worse because what if God made me knowing I would doubt then sends me to hell for eternity. Basically I was created to burn.

 

[cedward1]

It is my understanding that Calvinists believe that those who are not elect are those who will never accept Christ, nor will they want to. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. If you call on the name of the Lord, it's a moot point whether you did so because you were predestined to or because you chose to.

 

[raven1]

I have not done all my research. I just know the preachers I have talked to are fundamentalist. They say u can doubt but not until you die. If that's the case it only leads me to the conclusion I wasn't chosen. My mom has extraordinary faith that there is a heaven. I asked her how can you believe that when you can't prove it. It is my greatest fear it does not. That I will just sleep and never see my daughter again. I don't see how you can have so much faith in something you can't prove that has to do with your eternity so that is where all the doubt started for me when my heart was beating funny. Now I have double fear. Hell for doubt and the possibility of no heaven. I have tried to rationalize this saying maybe because I am just afraid heaven isn't there he will forgive me so I think but if I believed in heaven again would I in God. I can't know because if God was there but not heaven why would I care if he existed anyway or I just can't possible know because I am not in that situation. Then I think it doesn't matter I can't know if he will forgive any reason.

 

[earagun]

Just found this: Getting out of depression (learned helplessness) by learning to be optimistic. Read this brilliant book: Learned Optimism.

In it the author (Dr. Martin Seligman) writes about how they experimented with a dog. They gave the dog shock treatments and gave the dog a way to end the shock by pressing a button or something. The dog didn’t become depressed because the dog had a way to control his environment.

When they stopped the button from working, the dog felt no control over his life… and he became depressed. After the dog had decided he could not longer control his what was happening to him, he became depressed.

Even when they fixed the button so that it would work again, the dog no longer even tried to change what was going on. It had given up. It had decided it could no control anything.

The dog had decided that it had no control over it’s own life… and it gave up. It stopped pressing the button. The dog had learned to be helpless. Even if the opportunity to stop the shocks was provided, it remained helpless. It had learned to be helpless and it remained helpless no matter what changed around it.

You CAN unlearn and change

You are not a dog. You are not an animal.

Learning optimism is done by consciously challenging any negative self talk.
You CAN change your mind. You CAN decide to control your life and do things that will lessen the pain. You CAN change and you CAN start with just a few small things. Start with your hair. Then your clothes. Then try avoiding hurtful people. Then go to a church where you feel loved. Then go to counselling and learn new skills. Then… then… then…

Bit by bit you CAN change your experience of the world around you. YOU CAN.
Here is an online test which is created by someone else. Enjoy this learned optimism test. I will write more about this book next week. I’m off to the coast. I’m changing my world to be a WHOLE LOT more fun. What are you going to change in your world?

wow, awesome....

This is so true! its the devil that keeps people from seeing they can change, by filling their head with "Nothing is going to change for me" starting fighting against ALL NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, allow that to be your battle and you will find change not only is possible, you will wonder why you simply just didn't do it sooner

 

[raven1]

What exactly is it that I am supposed to do? I can't just say I have no doubt God exists I am going to change the end. I doubt because I can't prove. If I could prove I would have nobprobelm being optimistic who wouldn't be that means heaven is there and I wouldn't have doubt therefore no fear I was going to hell.